Zed

As a technology journalist, I often find myself testing out various development tools, and Zed caught my attention primarily due to its claims of high performance and unique collaborative features. The fact that it is built from scratch in Rust intrigued me, as I’ve heard a lot about Rust’s efficiency and speed. Upon diving into Zed, I found the experience to be mostly positive, although not without a few bumps along the road.

First impressions matter, and Zed delivers with a clean, modern interface that feels intuitive. The layout is straightforward, with a minimalistic design that doesn’t overwhelm you with options. I appreciate that it prioritises the coding environment, focusing on what matters most: the code itself. Navigating through files and projects feels fluid, which is a plus for anyone who has spent time wrestling with lagging editors.

The AI assistant is a highlight, providing suggestions that are often spot-on and relevant to the context of the code you are writing. This feature genuinely enhances productivity and can be a game-changer for developers who may struggle with syntax or need help remembering function names. However, I did notice that there were times when the AI would offer suggestions that seemed a bit off, indicating that it may still be learning and improving.

Multiplayer editing is another feature that intrigued me, especially for teams working remotely. I’ve participated in collaborative coding sessions where real-time editing can be a boon to productivity. In Zed, this feature worked well, allowing me and a colleague to work on a project simultaneously without any hiccups. It felt like a natural extension of the coding process, which is something I’ve longed for in a code editor.

That said, Zed is not without its issues. Since it is still relatively new, I encountered a few bugs that interrupted my workflow. There were moments when the editor would freeze or become unresponsive, which was frustrating, especially during moments of inspiration. Additionally, I found that the learning curve could be challenging for those coming from more traditional editors. While I embraced the change, I can imagine that some users might be put off by the need to adapt to a new interface and way of doing things.

Performance-wise, Zed lives up to its promise. I tested it with larger projects, and I was pleased to see it handle them with ease. The speed at which it operates is impressive and certainly a step up from many other editors I’ve used. However, I did notice some performance dips on older hardware, which could be a concern for developers who may not have the latest machines at their disposal.

In terms of features, Zed is still developing its ecosystem. While it has some great tools built-in, I found myself wishing for more plugins and extensions to cater to specific needs. This is something that established editors like Visual Studio Code excel at, so it’s an area where Zed could improve.

Overall, Zed is a promising code editor that combines performance with features that cater to modern development needs. I can see it being particularly beneficial for teams focused on collaboration and those who appreciate the speed that Rust brings to the table. It’s free to use, which makes it accessible for anyone wanting to try it out. Despite its current limitations, I believe Zed has the potential to carve out a niche in the coding world. I look forward to seeing how it evolves in the coming months and years.

Getting started with Zed

In this guide, you'll learn how to set up Zed, the high-performance code editor, and create your first coding project with the help of its AI assistant. By the end, you'll be ready to edit code efficiently and take advantage of Zed's unique features.

Step 1: Sign up and set up

Step 2: Your first project

Step 3: Get better results

Pro tip

Set up your favourite snippets in the settings menu to quickly insert commonly used code structures, saving you time on repetitive tasks.

Common mistake to avoid

Avoid neglecting the AI assistant. Many beginners start coding without utilising it, missing out on valuable suggestions and assistance that can speed up the coding process. Always check for AI recommendations as you work.