Building Zed: A Code Editor for Performance and Collaboration with Nathan Sobo

Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development, Neat

Building Zed: A Code Editor for Performance and Collaboration with Nathan Sobo

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Published on Jun 1, 2023, 7:00:00 AM
Total time: 01:04:59

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Episode Description

Nathan Sobo, Founder of Zed Industries, is a founding member of the team that built Atom at GitHub. With nine years of experience under his belt, Nathan made the bold decision to leave GitHub and start a new venture: building Zed, a code editor that captures his vast knowledge and ambitious goals.
Nathan opens up about the frustrations he faced with web technology, specifically Electron, which was initially developed to construct Atom but ended up being a resource-hungry burden. Zed, on the other hand, aims to be a more streamlined and efficient code editor by harnessing the power of Rust. Of course, this path was not without its challenges, as Nathan candidly shares the steep learning curve and unique ownership model that came with using Rust. But with determination and a deep understanding of Rust's capabilities, Nathan and his team created an editor with enough promise to secure funding in just two weeks.

In this episode, Nathan talks to Robbie and Chuck about his experience working with Atom, his motivation for building Zed, and the challenges of analyzing community feedback.

Key Takeaways

  • [00:31] - Introduction to Nathan Sobo.
  • [02:51] - A whiskey review: Redbreast Kentucky Oak Edition.
  • [14:12] - Why Nathan created Zed.
  • [27:55] - Future plans for Zed.
  • [43:01] - Where the name Zed comes from.
  • [48:08] - Nathan’s views on crypto.
  • [53:39] - Nathan's time in Italy.

Quotes

[17:52] - “The learning curve for Rust was, I describe it as a vertical cliff with snakes nesting in the rocks biting me as I ascended it.” ~ Nathan Sobo

[39:11] - “If I look for 20 miles in any direction, I see shit that would be a really good idea to add to Zed.” ~ Nathan Sobo

[42:31] - “I didn’t lick my finger and figure out which way the wind was blowing to start working on Zed. I did it because I wanted to do it, and I didn’t even know why I wanted to do it.” ~ Nahan Sobo

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More about Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development, Neat
Veteran web developers RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III host this informal, whiskey-fueled fireside chat with your favorite web devs. They discuss all things web development including JavaScript, TypeScript, EmberJS, React, Astro, SolidJS, CSS, HTML, Web3, and more. They take a unique approach and focus on getting to know the human side of developers and their hobbies outside of work, all while sampling a new whiskey that they rate on their unique tentacle scale.
© RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III