I Finally Tried The AI-Powered VS Code Killer | Cursor IDE Review

Your Average Tech Bro
1 Jul 202408:52

TLDRIn this review, the video creator shares their experience with Cursor IDE, an AI-powered coding tool that has impressed them more than GitHub Co-pilot and JetBrains IDEs. They highlight Cursor's seamless integration with VS Code extensions and its superior contextual AI coding assistance. The standout feature is Cursor's ability to predict and auto-complete the next lines of code, significantly reducing manual coding effort. However, the creator also points out drawbacks, such as the need to manage VS Code extensions and the lack of certain JetBrains features like a robust Git UI and refactoring experience.

Takeaways

  • 😀 The speaker has been coding for 9 years and has transitioned from using various IDEs to finally trying out Cursor IDE, an AI-powered IDE.
  • 🔧 The speaker initially had doubts about Cursor due to their satisfaction with GitHub Copilot but was impressed after a 2-week free trial.
  • 📚 Cursor is built off of VS Code, offering a familiar environment for existing VS Code users and compatibility with VS Code extensions.
  • 💡 Two major improvements of Cursor over GitHub Copilot are the integrated AI user experience and new AI use cases for code prediction and generation.
  • 🗂️ Cursor provides quicker keyboard shortcuts for AI interaction, making it more efficient than GitHub Copilot's chat extension.
  • 🧐 Cursor's AI is contextually aware, outperforming other AI assistants in understanding and predicting code within a project's scope.
  • 🔄 A unique feature of Cursor is its ability to predict the next line of code, streamlining the refactoring process by automatically updating references across the project.
  • 🛠️ The speaker finds Cursor's AI to be faster and better at generating code compared to GitHub Copilot, significantly speeding up their coding process.
  • 🚫 Despite the advantages, the speaker dislikes managing VS Code extensions and prefers JetBrains' more opinionated and out-of-the-box approach.
  • 💼 The speaker misses certain features of JetBrains, such as a superior git UI and refactoring experience, which are not as streamlined in VS Code or Cursor.
  • 🌟 The speaker's ideal editor would combine JetBrains' features with Cursor's AI capabilities for an optimal coding experience.
  • 📝 The speaker encourages others to try Cursor and share their experiences, highlighting the potential for Cursor to revolutionize coding with its AI integration.

Q & A

  • What is the title of the video being reviewed?

    -The title of the video is 'I Finally Tried The AI-Powered VS Code Killer | Cursor IDE Review'.

  • How long has the speaker been coding and what were their primary IDEs during this period?

    -The speaker has been coding for 9 years, initially using VM/neovim for 3 years, then VS Code for another 3 years, and for the past 2 years, they have been using JetBrains IDE, specifically WebStorm.

  • What is the new IDE being discussed in the video?

    -The new IDE being discussed is Cursor, which is being promoted as the first AI-powered IDE.

  • What was the speaker's initial skepticism about Cursor IDE?

    -The speaker was initially skeptical about Cursor IDE because they were already a satisfied user of GitHub Copilot and doubted that Cursor could offer a significantly better experience.

  • How did the speaker's experience with Cursor IDE compare to their expectations?

    -The speaker was impressed with Cursor IDE after a 2-week free trial, finding it to be better than GitHub Copilot and other AI solutions they had tried.

  • What are the two major improvements Cursor IDE has over GitHub Copilot according to the speaker?

    -The two major improvements are the user experience of the AI integration into the product and the introduction of new AI use cases in code prediction and interaction.

  • How does Cursor IDE handle code prediction compared to GitHub Copilot?

    -Cursor IDE predicts the next line of code not only within the current line but also elsewhere in the file or project, providing a more comprehensive and context-aware prediction.

  • What is the 'Tab to Predict' feature in Cursor IDE?

    -The 'Tab to Predict' feature in Cursor IDE allows the user to automatically jump to each reference of a function name or code element and update it throughout the project by simply pressing the Tab key.

  • What are some of the speaker's criticisms of Cursor IDE?

    -The speaker criticizes Cursor IDE for being based on VS Code, which they find inconvenient for managing extensions, and for lacking certain features they appreciate in JetBrains IDEs, such as a better Git UI and refactoring experience.

  • What is the speaker's ideal coding environment according to the video?

    -The speaker's ideal coding environment would combine the AI functionality of Cursor with the user experience and features of JetBrains IDEs, such as quick keyboard shortcuts for code generation and a more opinionated setup that requires fewer extensions.

  • What is the open-source project the speaker is working on, as mentioned in the video?

    -The speaker is working on an open-source social media scheduling tool called Social Q, which allows users to upload content across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok accounts.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Transition to AI-Powered IDE Cursor

The speaker shares their coding journey, starting with a brief history of the tools they've used over the years, including vim/neovim, VS Code, and JetBrains IDEs. They express initial skepticism towards the new AI-powered IDE called Cursor, which has been generating buzz in the developer community. However, after a two-week free trial, they are impressed by Cursor's capabilities, particularly its integration of AI, which they compare favorably to GitHub Copilot and other AI solutions. The speaker plans to discuss their experience with Cursor and its advantages over JetBrains IDEs, while also acknowledging some of the drawbacks they've noticed.

05:02

🔍 Cursor's Enhanced AI and UX Features

The speaker delves into the user experience of Cursor, highlighting its seamless integration with VS Code extensions and its contextual AI capabilities that outperform GitHub Copilot and JetBrains' offerings. They describe Cursor's quick keyboard shortcuts for code generation and chatting with code, as well as its ability to predict the next line of code, which significantly reduces manual coding efforts. The speaker provides examples of refactoring code with Cursor, where changing a function name automatically updates all references throughout the project. They also compare Cursor's AI performance with GitHub Copilot, emphasizing Cursor's speed and accuracy in code prediction. Despite Cursor's strong AI features, the speaker points out some dislikes, such as the management of VS Code extensions and the lack of certain features present in JetBrains IDEs, like a superior git UI and refactoring experience.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI-Powered IDE

An AI-Powered IDE, or Integrated Development Environment, is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. The term 'AI-Powered' in this context refers to the integration of artificial intelligence to enhance coding efficiency, such as by predicting code, suggesting fixes, or auto-generating code snippets. In the video, the speaker discusses their experience with Cursor, an AI-Powered IDE that is positioned as a revolutionary tool in the coding landscape.

💡VS Code

VS Code, short for Visual Studio Code, is a popular free source-code editor made by Microsoft. It supports a wide array of programming languages and is known for its robust ecosystem of extensions. The speaker mentions VS Code as they transitioned from using it to trying out Cursor, noting that Cursor is built off of VS Code, providing a familiar environment for existing users.

💡JetBrains IDE

JetBrains IDE refers to a family of integrated development environments developed by JetBrains. These IDEs are known for their powerful features and are tailored to specific programming languages or development tasks. The speaker had been using JetBrains' WebStorm for full stack web development before trying Cursor, highlighting the transition from one powerful tool to another.

💡GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool developed by GitHub and OpenAI. It is designed to help developers write code faster by suggesting whole lines or blocks of code. The speaker compares their experience with GitHub Copilot to Cursor, noting that Cursor's AI integration and new use cases provide a superior experience.

💡Code Prediction

Code prediction is a feature in AI-Powered IDEs where the system anticipates and suggests the next lines of code a developer is likely to write. The speaker highlights this feature in Cursor, explaining how it predicts and auto-generates code after a certain line is completed, streamlining the coding process.

💡User Experience (UX)

User Experience, often abbreviated as UX, refers to a person's emotions and attitudes toward using a particular system, in this case, an IDE. The speaker emphasizes Cursor's superior UX, noting the seamless integration of AI and the ease of interaction with the AI through keyboard shortcuts, which is a significant improvement over other tools they have used.

💡Contextual Awareness

Contextual awareness in an AI-Powered IDE means the system's ability to understand and adapt to the specific context of the code being written. The speaker found Cursor to be the best at this compared to GitHub Copilot or JetBrains' AI assistant, as it correctly identifies and uses existing components within a project when generating or suggesting code.

💡Refactoring

Refactoring is the process of restructuring existing computer code without changing its external behavior to make it more understandable, manageable, or efficient. The speaker illustrates Cursor's advanced refactoring capabilities, where changing a function name automatically updates all references throughout the project.

💡Extensions

Extensions in the context of an IDE are additional software components that add or enhance functionality. The speaker mentions the ease of using any VS Code extension within Cursor, but also expresses a dislike for managing extensions, preferring the out-of-the-box experience of JetBrains IDEs.

💡Git UI

Git UI refers to a graphical user interface for the version control system Git, which allows developers to manage and track changes in their code. The speaker wishes for a better Git UI in VS Code and Cursor, comparing it unfavorably to JetBrains' Git interface, which they find superior.

💡Refactor Experience

Refactor experience refers to how intuitive and effective the process of refactoring code is within an IDE. The speaker finds JetBrains' refactor experience to be better than VS Code's, and by extension, Cursor's, due to its ability to detect and manage references across the entire project more efficiently.

Highlights

Switched from VS Code and JetBrains to Cursor IDE after a 2-week free trial.

Cursor is built off of VS Code, offering a familiar environment with full extension compatibility.

AI integration in Cursor provides a superior user experience compared to GitHub Copilot.

Cursor offers quick keyboard shortcuts for AI code generation and chatting with code.

Cursor's contextual awareness outperforms GitHub Copilot and JetBrains AI assistants.

Cursor predicts the next line of code after completion, enhancing code-writing efficiency.

Cursor's 'Tab to jump' feature automates code updates across the project.

Demonstrated Cursor's AI capabilities in refactoring and code generation for social media tool 'Social Q'.

Cursor's AI can generate code using plain English prompts without technical jargon.

Cursor's AI handles follow-up prompts to correct and complete code more effectively than GitHub Copilot.

Despite Cursor's advantages, dislikes include managing VS Code extensions and the initial open canvas approach.

Prefers JetBrains' out-of-the-box experience and Git UI over VS Code and Cursor.

JetBrains provides a better refactoring experience compared to VS Code.

Ideal editor would combine JetBrains' features with Cursor's AI functionality.

Encourages viewers to try Cursor and share their experiences.

Viewer feedback on Cursor's performance and features is welcomed in the comments.

Casual Browsing

Using Cursor - the AI powered VS Code alt for the first time…

2024-08-20 21:50:00

Cursor AI Composer Testing & Timezone PostgreSQL Chat (CURSOR IDE, LLM's to Code)

2024-08-20 23:22:00

World's First AI-Powered IDE - Cursor AI Editor - A Game changer IDE for Software Developer

2024-08-20 21:36:00

Cursor: Build Software with The AI-first Code Editor with a CoPilot! Better Than VS Code!

2024-08-20 19:05:00

How to use Interpreter Mode and Terminal Commands in Cursor IDE so you can code FASTER!

2024-08-20 19:23:00