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I Use Gnome Text Editor to Write Code, and I’m Not Sorry

2025-11-29T08:39:11Z · by Harrison Erd

People ask what editor I use.
They expect VS Code. Or JetBrains. Or at least something with a dark theme and 10,000 extensions.
I tell them: Gnome Text Editor — the default one. The one that ships with the OS. The one with a settings panel that’s basically just “font size” and “good luck.”

And somehow… I get work done.

Why?

  • Because it opens fast.
  • Because it doesn’t ask me questions.
  • Because it doesn’t suggest I install a plugin every time I type def.
  • Because I don’t need a spaceship cockpit just to write some Python.

What It Doesn’t Do

  • It doesn’t lint my code.
  • It doesn’t autocomplete things based on a neural network.
  • It doesn’t show me inline diffs or run tests or deploy anything.
  • It doesn’t even have tabs half the time.

It’s a text box. With line numbers and syntax highlighting. That’s it.

What I Do Instead

  • I run scripts from the terminal like it’s 2003.
  • I check logs like an adult.
  • I know where the bugs are because I wrote them.
  • I use grep. You ever heard of grep? It's like search, but angry.

Why Not Use an IDE?

Because I don't want to fight my editor to code.
I don’t want it yelling at me about formatting rules I never agreed to.
I don’t need real-time type analysis to write a Mongo query that’s probably wrong anyway.

Also: memory usage.
I’ve seen VS Code use more RAM than my entire database server. For what? Showing me the git blame for a line I already know I wrote at 2 AM?

But What About Extensions?

I don't want extensions. I want fewer things in my life.
Every time I try a fancy editor, I spend the first hour disabling animations, pop-ups, and "helpful" features that are just trying to get between me and the bug I’m staring at.

Will I Ever Switch?

Maybe. But probably not.

Because at the end of the day, I just want to:

  • Write some code
  • Run it
  • Swear at it
  • Fix it
  • Move on

And Gnome Text Editor lets me do that. Quickly. Quietly. Without judgment.

So no, I’m not using an IDE.

I’m using the dumbest, most minimal editor imaginable.

And it’s great.

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