VS Code is Obsolete: Why Smart Developers Are Switching to Cursor AI

It’s hard to say goodbye to a tool you love, but in the age of AI, Visual Studio Code is officially becoming a relic. Here is why you need to switch to Cursor.

For the last decade, Microsoft's Visual Studio Code (VS Code) has been the undisputed king of code editors. It killed Atom, it sidelined Sublime Text, and it became the default home for millions of developers. But technology moves fast. What was cutting edge in 2022 is "legacy" in 2025.

The reality of modern software engineering is that we spend too much time on the boring stuff: writing boilerplate code, hunting down missing semicolons, and debugging syntax errors that a machine could spot in a millisecond. If you are still doing this manually, you are wasting hours of your life.

Enter Cursor. It is not just another editor; it is a fork of VS Code that has been rebuilt with Artificial Intelligence at its very core. It is what VS Code would be if it were invented today.

The "Fork" Advantage: Because Cursor is a fork of VS Code, the transition is seamless. All your favorite extensions, themes, and keybindings work immediately. You lose nothing, but gain everything.

Why "AI-Native" Matters

You might be thinking, "I already have GitHub Copilot installed in VS Code. Why do I need a new browser?"

There is a massive difference between an AI extension and an AI editor. In VS Code, Copilot is a plugin. It has limited access to your file system and often lacks context. In Cursor, the AI is baked into the engine.

1. It Predicts Your Next Move (Copilot++)

Cursor has a feature often called "Copilot++." It doesn't just autocomplete the word you are typing; it predicts the next logical edit based on your recent changes. If you change a variable name in one function, Cursor will ghost-text the change in the next function before you even scroll there. You just hit Tab, and it's done.

2. Chat with Your Codebase

This is the killer feature. In standard editors, you can paste a snippet into ChatGPT and ask "What is wrong?" But ChatGPT doesn't know about the other 50 files in your project.

Cursor indexes your entire project. You can open the chat sidebar and ask:

User: "Where is the authentication logic handling the JWT token refresh?" Cursor: "The token refresh logic is located in /src/auth/middleware.ts on line 45. However, it seems you are also referencing it in /components/login.vue. Would you like me to refactor both to ensure consistency?"

It understands the relationship between your files.

Debugging at the Speed of Thought

We have all been there. You run your code, the terminal explodes with red text, and you sigh. Usually, you would copy that error, paste it into Google or StackOverflow, scroll through three outdated answers, and try a fix.

In Cursor, you just click "Debug with AI." The editor analyzes the stack trace, looks at your code, finds the exact line causing the crash, and offers a fix button. One click. Bug squashed.

The "10x Developer" Argument

There is a lot of debate about whether AI coding tools are "cheating." Are you really a developer if the AI writes the code for you?

This is the wrong question.

In the 1990s, developers argued that using an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) was cheating because real programmers used generic text editors. In the 2000s, people said Googling answers was cheating. In the 2010s, copying from StackOverflow was "lazy."

Productivity is not cheating; it is leverage. If you can build a feature in 1 hour using Cursor that takes your competitor 10 hours using VS Code, you win. The market does not care how hard you worked; it cares about the product you shipped.

Key Takeaway: You are not paid to type. You are paid to solve problems. Cursor removes the typing so you can focus on the solving.

How to Switch (Painlessly)

If you are hesitant to switch because you spent years configuring your VS Code environment, don't worry. Cursor makes migration effortless.

1. Install Cursor.
2. On the first launch, it will ask: "Import settings from VS Code?"
3. Click Yes.

That is it. Your themes, your keybindings, and your extensions are ported over. You are now running an AI super-computer with the comfort of your old shoes.

Conclusion

VS Code had an amazing run. It defined a generation of software development. But as we move into the era of AI-assisted engineering, we need tools that are built for the future, not patched for it.

Don't let nostalgia hold you back. Uninstall the past. Install the future.