PSA: I spent 6 months using a text editor without syntax highlighting

I started learning Python back in February and just used Notepad on Windows because I didn't know any better. Last week I switched to VS Code with syntax highlighting and realized I was missing typos and mistakes constantly. My code is way cleaner now and I catch errors before running it. Anyone else start with a basic tool and later find out there was a much better option?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantc8013d ago

Wait, are we really acting like syntax highlighting is some kind of life changing revelation? You were writing Python in Notepad for 6 months, that's your own fault for not doing 5 minutes of research. I've been writing code in vim with no colors for 10 years and my code isn't any dirtier than yours. You just need to actually read what you type instead of relying on the computer to hold your hand. Missing a parenthesis or a colon is a typo, not a life crisis.

milalewis13d ago

I used to write HTML in WordPad back in 2001 because my dad told me Notepad was for "system stuff" and I was too scared to open it.

tessap9713d ago

Used to be on @grantc80's side about this honestly. Thought syntax highlighting was just a crutch, you know? But then I spent a whole weekend chasing a missing closing tag in a mess of nested divs and almost threw my laptop out the window. It wasn't about not being able to read the code, it was about my brain just skipping over that one little </div> every single time I scanned it. After that I caved and got a real editor and honestly, the colors just help my eyes follow the nesting better. Sometimes it's not about being a better coder, it's about not wasting your weekend on a typo.