🥸 The Unexpected Journey of Visual Studio Code and the People Who Built It
VS Code has been around for almost a decade, and its rise to the top of the editor market is a fascinating one.
Visual Studio Code, or VS Code as it’s widely known, has become one of the most popular code editors in the world. Its journey, however, is anything but ordinary. What started as a web-based project within Microsoft eventually grew into a powerful, open-source editor used by millions of developers. But behind the technology were key individuals who made it all happen—engineers and visionaries who saw an opportunity to create something new.
The origins of VS Code can be traced back to Monaco, a lightweight, browser-based code editor developed by Microsoft in the early 2010s. One of the key figures behind Monaco was Erich Gamma, a renowned software engineer best known as one of the authors of Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software—a book that influenced generations of programmers. Before joining Microsoft, Gamma had worked on Eclipse, one of the most well-known open-source IDEs. His expertise in creating developer tools played a crucial role in shaping the design philosophy of VS Code.
Gamma and his team were initially focused on making a simple, fast, and accessible web-based editor for Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure. However, as Monaco matured, they realized that developers needed more than just a web-based solution—they wanted a full-fledged desktop application with native capabilities. Enter Chris Dias, a longtime Microsoft engineer who played a major role in transitioning Monaco into what would eventually become VS Code.
The team made a bold decision: they would turn their web-based editor into a standalone, cross-platform desktop application. To do this, they used Electron, a framework that allows web technologies to be packaged as desktop apps. This choice was spearheaded by Benjamin Pasero, another key figure in the VS Code story. Pasero had previously worked on Visual Studio and had deep experience in building large-scale developer tools. His work in adapting Monaco for the desktop environment was crucial in ensuring that VS Code could function seamlessly outside of the browser.
In 2015, Microsoft officially introduced Visual Studio Code at the Build developer conference. Unlike its namesake, Visual Studio, which was a full-fledged integrated development environment (IDE), VS Code was designed to be a lightweight yet powerful code editor. It provided developers with a streamlined experience while still supporting extensions, debugging, and Git integration. Chris Dias, who had become one of the public faces of the project, was instrumental in shaping VS Code’s vision as a tool built for developers, by developers.
One of VS Code’s defining features was its extensibility. The team deliberately built it with a plugin system that allowed developers to customize their experience. This meant users could start with a minimal setup and expand it to fit their specific needs—whether that meant adding support for new programming languages, integrating development tools, or even enabling different editor themes and keyboard shortcuts. Johannes Rieken, another core engineer, was heavily involved in building VS Code’s extension model and the powerful IntelliSense feature, which provides intelligent code completions.
In 2016, Microsoft made a bold move by open-sourcing VS Code under the MIT license. This decision not only increased trust in the product but also allowed the global developer community to contribute to its growth. Open-source collaboration helped VS Code evolve rapidly, as developers worldwide submitted bug fixes, created extensions, and improved its overall functionality. Erich Gamma, a strong advocate for open-source software, championed this move, ensuring that VS Code remained accessible and community-driven.
By 2019, VS Code had surpassed many traditional code editors in popularity. Its combination of speed, ease of use, and powerful features made it the go-to choice for developers across different programming languages and platforms. The integration with GitHub—especially after Microsoft’s acquisition of GitHub in 2018—further strengthened its position as a central tool in modern software development. This was another area where Chris Dias played a key role, advocating for a deeper connection between VS Code and GitHub’s ecosystem.
Another key factor in VS Code’s rise was its continuous improvement. Microsoft adopted a fast-paced development cycle, rolling out monthly updates based on user feedback. Features like IntelliSense (smart autocompletion), Live Share (real-time collaboration), and GitHub Copilot (AI-powered coding assistance) have made the editor even more capable over time. Engineers like Alex Rossie and Isidor Nikolic helped refine these features, ensuring that VS Code remained responsive and developer-friendly.
Today, VS Code is more than just a code editor—it’s an essential tool for developers, whether they’re working on web development, data science, or system programming. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and even has a web-based version that brings the editing experience to the cloud. Thanks to the efforts of the engineers and visionaries who built it, VS Code continues to evolve, adapting to the needs of developers worldwide.
The story of VS Code is a testament to the power of innovation, open-source collaboration, and user-focused development. What started as a simple web editor has grown into a versatile, widely adopted tool that continues to shape how developers write and manage code. And with Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to improvement, its future looks just as promising as its past.
