VS Code review

Visual Studio Code has effectively ceased to be just a text editor; it is now the **Copilot Operating System**. The new **Next Edit** architecture allows the AI to predict not just the next word, but the next *file* you need to touch. The experimental **AI Agent Skills** feature is a game changer - you can 'teach' the editor your specific architectural patterns by simply dropping markdown instructions into a `.github/skills` folder, making the AI smarter about *your* codebase over time.

The defining improvement of 2026 is **Smart Workspaces**. In the past, managing extensions for different languages was a nightmare of bloat. Now, **Profiles** allow you to switch from a lightweight 'Markdown Writer' mode to a heavy 'Rust Backend' mode in one click, instantly loading only the relevant toolchains. It finally feels like the editor understands the *context* of your work, not just the syntax.

It remains the undisputed king of general-purpose development. While IntelliJ still holds the crown for massive Java/Kotlin monoliths, VS Code's ecosystem is untouchable. The ability to run **Copilot Agents** directly in the terminal to fix build errors without context switching saves hours of debugging time per week.