VSCode Won't Just Be for Developers Anymore

You know how every LLM has a vibe-coding app now? They're all pretty much forks or clones of VSCode (if they run as a windowed app). The CLI apps are their own thing. Because they all share a few common elements they can all use Skill.md files. That means developing your skill for a wide audience is possible as long as they're willing to leave their Copilot (Microsoft Office) comfort zone.

So if you're not a programmer and want to take advantage of working files and code execution for your daily tasks, you have your choice of Cursor, Codex, Google Antigravity, VSCode (Claude Code extension), and maybe Windsurf. It's like when we had a bunch of browsers to choose from—Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera—before Chrome gobbled them all up. They all need to do basically the same thing, but each one wants your data.

If you think of it like you're directing the LLM via a chat window and the LLM knows how to use and run the code, then you can make skills for just about anything. Want a calorie estimation for your diet plan? Easy. Want it to track your results in a database? Just ask it to make the skill and it will. Want to generate reports for your doctor? Now you have printable HTML. Need a PDF? Ask.

It's a different way of using what used to be a specialist tool. There's precedent for this. 3D printers didn't use to be a $200 purchase on Amazon. Nobody made flour at home. As these tools become smaller and more user-friendly they democratize the output. We're in an era of democratized code (much to my chagrin). So what are you waiting for? Make that app for yourself, automate your job, and don't be afraid of the IDE.