Maker of RStudio launches new R and Python IDE

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Python IDEs on iPad

  • Several tools are suggested: Pythonista (nice UX but older Python, strong iOS API access), Pyto (more up-to-date, includes clang/LLVM, less approachable), Carnets (offline Jupyter with scientific stack), Juno (notebooks-focused).
  • Hosted VS Code via code-server, especially integrated into the Blink terminal app, is praised as the most powerful option due to seamless remote development.

AI Coding Assistants (Copilot and Alternatives)

  • Some users find Copilot mostly an interruption: frequent trivial or subtly wrong suggestions, requiring vigilance.
  • Others see it as “autocomplete on steroids,” helpful for repetitive boilerplate, dictionary assignments, unit tests, and legacy code comprehension.
  • A common effective pattern: write a detailed comment, trigger Copilot once, accept and then delete the comment (“pseudocode-to-code compiler”).
  • Performance concerns: automatic suggestions can use high CPU and drain batteries; manual trigger via shortcut is preferred by some.
  • Use of Copilot is sometimes employer-driven; attitudes range from skepticism (“solution in search of a problem”) to viewing it as essential when onboarding to large legacy codebases.
  • Local/open alternatives like Tabby are briefly mentioned.

R vs Python and Posit’s Strategy

  • Strong debate over whether R is stagnating versus “already good enough” for its domain.
  • Many see Python outpacing R in overall usage; others report that in analytics-heavy roles (including at large companies), R remains common for exploration, with Python used for production/ML.
  • In life sciences and social sciences, R is still described as dominant for method packages, though some say Python is gaining.
  • Several commenters emphasize Posit’s philosophy of reducing barriers between R and Python rather than picking a winner; many team members and users are “bilingual.”
  • Some feel RStudio’s UI is dated; others praise it as fast, focused, and superior for data exploration and RMarkdown workflows.

Positron vs VS Code and Extension Ecosystem

  • Question raised: why not just a VS Code extension pack?
    • Answer: VS Code’s extension model can’t add certain top-level UI or deeply integrated services; Positron needs modifications to the core workbench.
  • Positron regularly merges upstream VS Code changes to maintain feature parity and extension compatibility, though this is acknowledged as a nontrivial maintenance burden.
  • Lack of Microsoft’s Remote-SSH and devcontainers is a major blocker for some, especially those working with large remote datasets or GPU servers. Open-source equivalents exist but may not yet work smoothly with Positron.

Licensing and Marketplace Concerns

  • Positron is under the Elastic License, explicitly not considered free/open-source by some commenters.
    • Restrictions include prohibitions on offering it as a hosted service and on circumventing license-key functionality.
  • Microsoft does not allow third-party IDEs access to the official VS Code Marketplace; this is viewed as a way to keep control of the ecosystem and makes non-MS distributions second-class citizens.
  • One linked analysis describes VS Code’s design as intentionally leading to fragmentation; some see Posit as becoming dependent on Microsoft’s ecosystem while giving up a differentiated RStudio experience.

RStudio’s Future and Backwards Compatibility

  • Official comment: RStudio development and maintenance will continue; some R-focused features will remain exclusive to it.
  • Some users report Positron does not yet handle .Rproj projects as smoothly as RStudio (e.g., package build/test GUI), though similar commands exist via the command palette. Better GUI tooling is planned.
  • Concerns from users heavily invested in existing RStudio-based R packages or mixed R/Python projects about whether Positron is a full replacement; current guidance implies it is not yet and may never be for all use cases.

Notebooks, RMarkdown, and Related Tools

  • Many prefer RMarkdown/Quarto’s literate programming model over Jupyter, describing it as more elegant, less “over-engineered,” and better integrated with RStudio.
  • Quarto is highlighted as the evolution of RMarkdown, supporting multiple languages (R, Python, others via Jupyter backends).
  • Some ask what VS Code notebooks lack compared to RMarkdown; others say they rely on Quarto or RMarkdown for teaching, homework, and scientific writing due to pandoc + LaTeX integration.
  • Tools like Observable Framework and Evidence.dev are mentioned as RMarkdown-like approaches in the JS and SQL worlds.

Other Tooling Notes

  • For CSV/TSV handling in VS Code, extensions like Excel Viewer and Data Wrangler are recommended, with caveats on large file performance.
  • Some see Spyder as a better traditional Python IDE; others view VS Code (and now Positron) as the new “Eclipse-style platform” for repackaged IDE distributions.