The big thing missing on repl.it is to use visual studio code instead of their own editor (think like Stackblitz), that would really be a game changer to be able to use one custom key-shortcuts, to use vscode plugins and so on.
We decided against using vscode verbatim for a few reasons, chief among them is keeping repl.it simple for people starting to code.
And as much as I like vscode and the team behind it, it doesn't seem smart to tie your core tech to a project under the control of MSFT.
With regards to extensions you can easily imagine a vscode-replit bridge.
Finally, we came up with a novel approach to IDE/window management that we think people will be excited to write extensions for when we open it up: https://repl.it/blog/ide
I disagree, vscode UI is pretty simple and even if not you can always creat a basic theme and use it as the initial default (after all it's just css/html) to make it simpler for novice users, the code is not really under the control of Microsoft in the sense the is open source and in the worse case scenario you create a fork from the latest build, which is already pretty stable. Microsoft itself realized the reality of this rationale and that's why their latest web browser is Chromium-based despite Chromium being under the "control" of Google.
For engineers it may look simple but for someone new to programming -- and we've done the research -- the more elements in the app the more easy it is to get overwhelmed (cognitive load).
Repl.it, with all the features we added, still loads with an editor and a console and a huge green run button. Most users, even those very new to programming, intuitively get it.
>the code is not really under the control of Microsoft in the sense the is open source and in the worse case scenario you create a fork from the latest build, which is already pretty stable.
I'd like to see a 10 person startup maintain a monster codebase fork like that. I agree it's a nice insurance policy, but it just not realistic.
Anyways, your original feedback is well taken and we'll make sure to create some compat layer :-)
Chromium should really serve as a counterexample of what you're using it for. Unless you are prepared to fork it and maintain the fork yourself, it pretty much is under the control of Google. It's also likely Google will continue to drive it in a direction undesirable for everyone else.
