From Theia to OpenVSCode Server - A history of Cloud IDEs

This article traces the history of cloud-based integrated development environments (IDEs) from Theia to OpenVSCode Server. It discusses how remote developer environments have evolved and highlights the importance of VS Code in shaping this evolution. The author, Anton, who leads IDE development at Gitpod, shares his journey with cloud-based IDEs and their connection to VS Code. He explains why they started building Theia under the Eclipse Foundation and how it led to the creation of OpenVSX marketplace. The article also details Gitpod's transition from Theia to VS Code and the development of OpenVSCode Server, which has received positive feedback from large companies such as GitLab, VMware, Uber, SAP, Sourcegraph, RStudio, and SUSE. The author expresses excitement about the future of cloud-based IDEs and hopes for more open-source contributions in this area.