I still like Sublime Text

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Performance and Large Files

  • Many comments praise Sublime’s speed: instant startup, low latency, and handling multi‑GB logs/SQL dumps without crashing, often better than VS Code or JetBrains on modest hardware.
  • Some report opposite experiences (e.g. huge CSVs using more RAM than Notepad++), but overall performance is a key reason people keep Sublime installed even after moving to other IDEs.
  • The responsiveness contributes to a “tactile” feel—users feel they are directly manipulating text rather than waiting on the tool.

Primary Uses and Workflows

  • Common pattern: Sublime as everyday “Swiss army knife”/scratchpad, IDEs for heavy work.
  • Uses include: log viewing, JSON prettifying, fast regex search/replace across files, large CSVs, one‑off scripts, note‑taking, markdown writing, books, to‑do lists, and configuration editing.
  • Persistent unsaved buffers and remembered undo history are heavily valued; some treat it as a lightweight personal wiki or notes app.

Comparisons with Other Editors

  • VS Code is acknowledged as richer: better default LSPs, debugger, integrated terminal, remote development, extension marketplace, and AI integrations (Copilot, Cursor).
  • Critics of VS Code cite Electron bloat, telemetry, UI clutter, frequent nags, and configuration complexity; some deliberately avoid corporate tools or “enshittification”.
  • Zed gets attention as a fast, modern competitor, but is criticized for telemetry/privacy terms, heavy AI/collaboration focus, rough edges on Linux, and configuration churn.
  • Emacs/Vim/Neovim/Helix users emphasize hackability and modal editing; others explicitly prefer Sublime’s “good defaults + enough customization” over infinite tweakability.

Licensing and Business Model

  • Debate over pricing: some call ~$100 per seat or ~$65/3‑year updates expensive; many argue it’s trivial compared to developer time and appreciate the perpetual‑with‑3‑years‑updates model.
  • Several users pay specifically to support a small, non‑VC company versus “free” but telemetry‑driven or ad‑laden tools. Others refuse to pay for an editor on principle and prefer FOSS.

Plugins, LSP, and Missing Features

  • Strengths: simple Python plugin model (often single files), powerful community packages (LSP, Pretty JSON, Markdown Images, debuggers, note/todo syntaxes).
  • Weaknesses: external Package Control with an MIA maintainer, many stale extensions, limited UI API, friction for rich panes/terminals, and no built‑in remote dev.
  • Some view Sublime as “basically done” and appreciate the stability; others see it as falling behind VS Code/Zed in AI tools, remote editing, semantic highlighting, and turnkey language setups.

Remote Development and AI

  • VS Code’s SSH/remote workflow is repeatedly called its “killer feature”; several say this alone forced them off Sublime.
  • Workarounds in Sublime (SFTP, remote mounts, separate terminals) are seen as clunkier.
  • Opinions on AI are polarized: some want deep, Cursor‑style integration; others threaten to leave if AI “slop” is added. The Sublime team leans toward enabling third‑party AI via plugins rather than core features.

Sublime Merge and Ecosystem

  • Sublime Merge is widely liked as a fast, clear Git UI, especially combined with Sublime Text.
  • Users request better blame workflows, search across history, and some performance fixes; maintainers are present in the thread and respond with clarifications and small improvements.