What is Coder
Coder is an IDE. Not just any IDE like our go-to VS Code or Android Studio but A full-stack IDE with root Linux terminal access. Similar to Codepen, JS Fiddle or even Run Kit.
The Good and the Ugly
Should you hop on?
Yes, If you are a Node, Go, Java, Python or just a static webpage developer you should give it a try. No matter what computer you are on, including a Chromebook with the power of cloud computing you can code without performance hiccups or compatibility issues. This is all assuming you have access to stable, moderate internet connection with at least 5 gigs of bandwidth every month. Working on mobile hotspots in countries that have so much traffic going through every cell tower like India, isn't really a pleasant experience.
This is just the beginning
Our journey to Cloud IDE's has only just begun, hold your browsers since we might see many more attempts from Microsoft's Github that might quite literally put VS code on the cloud for completely free to show off Microsoft azure's power. Or from Google Cloud, in fact, they got something similar named Google Cloud Shell. Perhaps, Maybe, we could see something from Apple that puts Xcode online powered by Google Cloud since they are their go-to vendor. Either way, the IDE I'll be using next year is most likely going to be powered by the cloud ... and electricity.
Links:
Coder IDE
Top comments (13)
Agree that "runs in the browser" is not always a good thing.
Also VS Code is not an IDE quite yet, but if it keeps on growing probably will in the next years.
I used Cloud9 and Cloud9 AWS and I found it quite nice for specific small projects, on which I code rarely and don't want to "pollute" or carry around my local setups.
Definitely I would not use a browser Editor for a "bigger project".
As a personal suggestion find a niche for coder.com and conquer it first, before saying is a good all round IDE.
Also for non-US devs like me I suggest letting me choose the region where the container runs, I would not want a serious lag in my editor :/
Good luck!
Thanks for the review Sethu, I am the Product Manager for Coder and it is feedback from the community that drives us to make Coder better each day. I agree that coding in the browser is not always optimal, however in most cases people are developing with an internet connection for research, api testing etc. We understand that many do want their IDE/text editor offline, so are currently developing plugins for VScode and other IDEs that offer all of the power Coder has in your IDE of choice.
What is the pricing? Is there a free plan?
Yeah there is a free plan, since it's in alpha they don't have a pro plan just yet so you are forced to use the free plan. To unlock fast time (a add-on to make your coding experience efficient and fast) requires an invite code.
In the past, I've tried using a locally mounted network drive that way I could use whatever program was needed (IDE, text editor, github client, build tools, etc...) on any computer and it would always end up being unreliable. Small network glitches and connection drops were a total PITA and a time waster.
Have they done anything different to mitigate these issues? I'd think something like checking in/checking out projects to your local drive would help but who knows. My main concern is that you're stuck using a single program to access your projects.
True, they should offer an option to sync with you local drive in the future like Google drive so kinda got a backup.
Hey Sethu, are you with Coder? It was a bit unclear from the wording of the post.
If so I'd love to ask you more :P
Unfortunately I'm not from Coder. I'm just an admirer!
Hey Ben, I am the Product Manager for Coder. Please feel free to reach out to me at rsabia@coder.com with any questions. I would be happy to reply.
True, but you can pretty much make any app that runs on the browser an electron app. (I'll go add that to the text). Infact after the project manager's comment it's revealed that they are making extensions for popular IDE/script editors.
It looks like Vscode but it is not. The idea is good however it lacks many features that we get offline. When is the case when I will use this?
You have "Run on the browser" in the wrong column. I don't want an IDE that runs in a restricted environment that was never designed for productivity.
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