Compare CotEditor vs. VSCodium

CotEditor is specifically designed for macOS and aligns perfectly with the expectations of macOS users. Its rapid launch time ensures that you can begin writing without delay whenever inspiration strikes. As an open-source project, CotEditor invites contributions from anyone interested in enhancing its capabilities. It supports syntax highlighting for over 50 popular programming languages, such as HTML, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Markdown, while also allowing users to create personalized settings. The interface enables you to split the window into several panes, facilitating the simultaneous view of various sections of your document. You can easily inspect the Unicode character data of any selected character, which is displayed conveniently in a popover. There is no need for complicated configuration files requiring technical expertise; all your settings, including syntax definitions and themes, can be managed through a straightforward preferences window. With CotEditor, the worry of losing unsaved changes is eliminated, as it automatically backs up your work during editing sessions. Additionally, it provides a feature to identify and list characters in your document that cannot be converted to the desired encoding, ensuring a smooth writing experience. This combination of user-friendliness and powerful features makes CotEditor a valuable tool for writers and developers alike.

The source code for Microsoft's Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is available as open source under the MIT license, yet the downloadable version of the product is subject to a different license that is not considered free and open-source software (FLOSS) and includes telemetry features. To provide an alternative, the VSCodium project was created, allowing users to avoid the hassle of downloading and building from the source code by offering pre-built binaries. This project utilizes specialized build scripts that fetch Microsoft's VSCode repository, execute the necessary build commands, and subsequently upload the finished binaries to GitHub releases, all of which are licensed under the MIT license and have telemetry features disabled. For users on Mac OS X Mojave, if you encounter the message “App can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software” when you first try to open VSCodium, you can simply right-click the application and select Open, which should only be necessary the first time you launch it on that operating system. Additionally, comprehensive documentation is available for anyone looking to transition from Visual Studio Code, as well as for addressing various issues that may arise during use of VSCodium. This ensures users have access to all the guidance they need for a smooth experience.