| # The VS Code Go extension joins the Go project |
| 09 Jun 2020 |
| Summary: Announcement of VS Code Go's move to the Go project. |
| OldURL: /the-vs-code-go-extension-joins-the-go-project |
| |
| The Go & VS Code Teams |
| |
| ## |
| |
| When the Go project began, “an overarching goal was that Go do more to help the |
| working programmer by enabling tooling, automating mundane tasks such as code |
| formatting, and removing obstacles to working on large code bases” |
| ([Go FAQ](https://golang.org/doc/faq#What_is_the_purpose_of_the_project)). |
| Today, more than a decade later, we continue to be guided by that same goal, |
| especially as it pertains to the programmer’s most critical tool: their editor. |
| |
| Throughout the past decade, Go developers have relied on a variety of editors |
| and dozens of independently authored tools and plugins. Much of Go’s early |
| success can be attributed to the fantastic development tools created by the Go |
| community. The |
| [VS Code extension for Go](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-go), built using |
| many of these tools, is now used by 41 percent of Go developers |
| ([Go developer survey](https://blog.golang.org/survey2019-results)). |
| |
| As the VS Code Go extension grows in popularity and as |
| [the ecosystem expands](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFJfdWzBHwE), it |
| requires |
| [more maintenance and support](https://twitter.com/ramyanexus/status/1154470078978486272). |
| Over the past few years, the Go team has collaborated with the VS Code team to |
| help the Go extension maintainers. The Go team also began a new initiative to |
| improve the tools powering all Go editor extensions, with a focus on supporting |
| the |
| [Language Server Protocol](https://microsoft.github.io/language-server-protocol/) |
| with [`gopls`](https://golang.org/s/gopls) and |
| [the Debug Adapter Protocol with Delve](https://github.com/go-delve/delve/issues/1515). |
| |
| Through this collaborative work between the VS Code and Go teams, we realized |
| that the Go team is uniquely positioned to evolve the Go development experience |
| alongside the Go language. |
| |
| As a result, we’re happy to announce the next phase in the Go team’s |
| partnership with the VS Code team: **The VS Code extension for Go is officially |
| joining the Go project**. With this come two critical changes: |
| |
| 1. The publisher of the plugin is shifting from "Microsoft" to "Golang". |
| 2. The project's repository is moving to join the rest of the Go project at [https://github.com/golang/vscode-go](https://github.com/golang/vscode-go). |
| |
| We cannot overstate our gratitude to those who have helped |
| build and maintain this beloved extension. We know that innovative ideas and |
| features come from you, our users. The Go team’s primary aim as owners of the |
| extension is to reduce the burden of maintenance work on the Go community. |
| We’ll make sure the builds stay green, the issues get triaged, and the docs get |
| updated. Go team members will keep contributors abreast of relevant language |
| changes, and we’ll smooth the rough edges between the extension’s different |
| dependencies. |
| |
| Please continue to share your thoughts with us by filing |
| [issues](https://github.com/golang/vscode-go/issues) and making |
| [contributions](https://github.com/golang/vscode-go/blob/master/docs/contributing.md) |
| to the project. The process for contributing will now be the same as for the |
| [rest of the Go project](https://golang.org/doc/contribute.html). Go team |
| members will offer general help in the #vscode channel on |
| [Gophers Slack](https://invite.slack.golangbridge.org/), and we’ve also created |
| a #vscode-dev channel to discuss issues and brainstorm ideas with contributors. |
| |
| We’re excited about this new step forward, and we hope you are too. |
| By maintaining a major Go editor extension, as well as the Go tooling and |
| language, the Go team will be able to provide all Go users, regardless of their |
| editor, a more cohesive and refined development experience. |
| |
| As always, our goal remains the same: Every user should have an excellent |
| experience writing Go code. |