I think your premise is a bit too broad to form an opinion one way or another.
Extensions cover a lot of ground: syntax highlighting, formatting, code completion, code generation, linting, bracket hilghting, indentation visualization, etc. Saying that extensions are problematic for new developers just covers too much territory.
Is it a good idea for a brand new coder to be using a code generator? Probably not, because it puts a layer of abstraction between your brain and the code, which may slow down the ability to internalize what everything means.
Should a brand new coder be using emmet, syntax highlighting, bracket highlighting, and linting extensions? Absolutely, because all of those directly lead to writing code more quickly and revealing the structure of the code rather than abstracting it.
I'd argue that you need to be thoughtful about which extensions you use regardless of what level you are at, but that there are some that are more suitable for advanced developers that understand the things that are being abstracted away and are using it as a tool to increase efficiency rather than a crutch to bypass the need to fully understand your code base.
I think your premise is a bit too broad to form an opinion one way or another.
Extensions cover a lot of ground: syntax highlighting, formatting, code completion, code generation, linting, bracket hilghting, indentation visualization, etc. Saying that extensions are problematic for new developers just covers too much territory.
Is it a good idea for a brand new coder to be using a code generator? Probably not, because it puts a layer of abstraction between your brain and the code, which may slow down the ability to internalize what everything means.
Should a brand new coder be using emmet, syntax highlighting, bracket highlighting, and linting extensions? Absolutely, because all of those directly lead to writing code more quickly and revealing the structure of the code rather than abstracting it.
I'd argue that you need to be thoughtful about which extensions you use regardless of what level you are at, but that there are some that are more suitable for advanced developers that understand the things that are being abstracted away and are using it as a tool to increase efficiency rather than a crutch to bypass the need to fully understand your code base.
I accept your position