**Course Title:** Mastering Development Environments **Section Title:** Setting Up Local Development Environments **Topic:** Overview of text editors (e.g., Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, Atom) **Introduction** In the previous topic, we learned how to install and configure Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) for software development. However, not all developers prefer using IDEs for every project. Sometimes, a simple text editor with the right set of features and extensions can be just as effective. In this topic, we'll explore the world of text editors, their features, and why they're still a popular choice among developers. **What is a text editor?** A text editor is a software application that allows you to create, edit, and manipulate plain text files. Unlike IDEs, text editors typically don't offer features like code completion, debugging, and project management out of the box. However, they can be extended with plugins and extensions to provide similar functionality. **Popular text editors for developers** In this section, we'll take a closer look at three popular text editors among developers: Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Sublime Text, and Atom. ### Visual Studio Code (VS Code) * VS Code is a free, open-source code editor developed by Microsoft. * It offers features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and debugging out of the box. * VS Code has a massive collection of extensions, with over 30,000 extensions available in the Marketplace. [Visit the VS Code Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/) * It supports over 30 programming languages and has a large community of developers who contribute extensions and themes. ### Sublime Text * Sublime Text is a popular, feature-rich text editor developed by Sublime HQ. * It offers features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and project management. * Sublime Text has a large collection of plugins and extensions, with over 4,000 packages available in the Package Control repository. [Visit the Package Control repository](https://packagecontrol.io/) * Sublime Text is known for its speed and performance, making it a great choice for large projects. ### Atom * Atom is a free, open-source text editor developed by GitHub. * It offers features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and project management. * Atom has a large collection of packages, with over 10,000 packages available in the Atom package registry. [Visit the Atom package registry](https://atom.io/packages) * Atom has a flexible, modular design, making it easy to customize and extend. **Key features to consider when choosing a text editor** * **Syntax highlighting**: Look for a text editor with syntax highlighting support for your programming languages of choice. * **Code completion**: If you want to reduce typing time, look for a text editor with code completion features. * **Extension ecosystem**: Consider a text editor with a large, active community and a wide range of extensions available. * **Performance**: If you work with large projects, look for a text editor with great performance and responsiveness. **Conclusion** Text editors can be a great choice for developers who want a lightweight, flexible coding experience. By choosing the right text editor and extensions, you can streamline your development workflow and increase productivity. In the next topic, we'll explore how to configure basic settings and extensions for enhancing productivity in your text editor. **Practical exercise**: Try out one of the text editors mentioned in this topic and explore its features and extensions. Which text editor do you prefer, and why? **Leave a comment below**: If you have any questions or need help with setting up your text editor, leave a comment below.