Zed 0.208.4 Advanced Editor Review

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Ask questions in the live chat about any programming or lifestyle topic.

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Zed: Your Next Code Editor? A Beginner’s Guide to the Open Source Speed Demon

If you’ve been looking for a code editor that feels truly **fast**, responsive, and built for modern development, you need to meet **Zed**. Unlike many of today’s popular editors that are built on web technologies, Zed is engineered from the ground up in the Rust programming language to leverage your computer’s hardware, including the GPU, to deliver an experience with virtually zero lag.

It’s been described as “remarkably responsive,” and for good reason-it’s designed to be the next-generation tool for developers.

Lightning-Fast and Built for Collaboration

Zed isn’t just fast; it’s packed with modern features:

• **Blazing Speed:** The core experience is all about speed. From startup time to keystroke response, Zed is built for minimal latency, making your coding flow feel seamless.
• **Real-Time Collaboration:** One of its standout features is built-in, real-time “multiplayer” collaboration. You can invite a teammate into your project to co-edit code, share terminals, and even chat-all from within the editor.
• **AI Integration:** Zed smoothly integrates with Large Language Models (LLMs), allowing you to use AI to explain code, generate snippets, and assist with complex refactoring right within your workflow.

Open Source and Licensing

In a major move for the community, Zed is **open source**! This means its source code is publicly available, allowing anyone to inspect it, suggest improvements, and build upon it.

The Zed code editor is primarily licensed under the **GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3**, which is a popular and robust license for open source software. This commitment to being open source makes Zed a transparent and community-driven project.

How to Install Zed on Different Platforms (Focus on Fedora Linux)

Zed supports the major operating systems, but as a Linux enthusiast, I want to focus on getting you set up on **Fedora**.

Installation for Fedora Linux

While you can often find third-party packages in Fedora’s COPR repositories, the most straightforward and officially recommended way to install Zed on Linux distributions like Fedora is by using the official installation script.

1. **Open your Terminal** (Ctrl + Alt + T).
2. **Run the official install script:** This script downloads the stable binary and places it in your local application directory (~/.local).

   curl -f https://zed.dev/install.sh | sh

3. **Start Coding:** Once the script finishes, you should be able to launch the editor by typing zed in your terminal or by finding it in your application launcher!

Note: Zed requires a Vulkan-compatible GPU for optimal performance, as it uses your graphics card for rendering a smoother UI.

Installation for Other Platforms

• **macOS:** You can download the native installer from the official Zed website or install it using **Homebrew**:

  brew install --cask zed

• **Windows:** Zed is also available on Windows. You can download the stable release directly from the official Zed website. It also features integration with the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

Screenshots and Screencast

👉 Screencast showing a beginner session in Zed—editing, saving files, and navigating buffers.

Requirements For Programming Text Editor

Glossary:

Code Editor

Designed for writing and editing source code.

IDE

Integrated Development Environment combines various tools need for software development.

Plugin

Software component that adds specific functionality.

Theme

Preset package containing graphical appearance to customize look and feel.

Open source

Freely available for possible modification and redistribution.

SCM

Source code management use to manage and track modifications to a source code repository.

LMB

Left Mouse Button (LMB) or left click

MMB

Middle Mouse Button (MMB) or scroll wheel

Test Tools

Test System

Name	Description
CPU	Ryzen 5 5600GT @ 3.60GHz.
Memory	32GB DDR4.
Operating System	Fedora Linux Workstation 42.
Desktop Environment	Gnome 48.
Name	Description

Test Suite

Name	Description
Large File	1GB human-readable text.
Regex File	Text with word “Zed” repeated.
Syntax File	PHP file containing HTML, CSS & JavaScript.
Media File	Smiley face or Tux Linux JPEG file.
Java Version	OpenJDK 21.0.8.
PHP Version	PHP 8.4.13.
Python Version	Python 3.13.7.
Zed Version	0.208.4.
Name	Description

Test Scoring

1. Each feature has two parts.
2. Score of zero indicates a missing feature.
3. A part of a feature is work a score of 0.5.

Three bias elimination steps were utilized. The editor was used for at least three years on different platforms. Attempts were made to get stable plug-ins for missing features. The same editor was compared between the one in the repository, the developers website, and the compiled version if applicable.

Selecting Editor Version

For this review, Zed was installed using the instructions from the developers website and it did not require additional plugins.

Features

1. The theme can be native for the editor in terms of the background. Zed dark and light themes can be created or downloaded and changed. The score for the theme was a perfect 1.0.
2. Dragging and dropping a text file into the editor opens a new tab or buffer. It is not possible to specify the tab location during the drag and drop operation. The score for drag and drop into editor was 0.5.
3. Opening a very large text file did not crash Zed. Zed was able to open or to edit the large file. The score for opening a large file was 1.0.
4. Multiple documents can opened in multiple tabs or buffers. Tear-off tabs do not work and Zed does not have a feature to open in new window as a new instance which is handy for multiple monitors. The score for multiple documents was 0.5.
5. Multiple editors can be opened as new tabs with drag options. Each tab window view can be split either vertically or horizontally as a multiple editor view in Wayland display server protocol. The score for multiple editor view was 1.0.
6. Creating non-project files is possible. Non-project files can be opened on the command line. The score for creating non-project files was a perfect 1.0.
7. Soft word wrap can be enabled on all documents as wrapping. Automatic soft wrap for documents is available from the Zed View menu. The score for word wrap was a perfect 1.0.
8. Spell check does work as words are typed by enabling the extension Codebook Spell Checker. Spelling errors are shown in opened documents. The score for spell check was 1.0.
9. Word count is not available. Word count for the current buffer or file is not enabled. Selection word count is not available as part of word count. The score for word count was 0.0.
10. Go to line can jump to a specified line using CTRL-G and entering the line number. It is possible to jump to either the first or last line. The score for go to line is a perfect 1.0.
11. Indentation can default to user-defined tab stops. Children are automatically indented. The score for indentation was a perfect 1.0.
12. Fonts can be dynamically scaled with custom keyboard shortcuts CTRL-+/-. The system font can be bypassed and a new editor font and size can be set. The score for fonts was a perfect 1.0.
13. Find and replace using regular expressions can be utilized for all open documents in the current session. Find and replace will work for the current document or a selection in the current document. The score for find and replacing using regular expressions was a perfect 1.0.
14. Multiple language syntax highlighting in one file is enabled. Each language has code-sensitive syntax colours. The score for multiple language syntax highlighting was a perfect 1.0.
15. Code folding does work for markup languages such as HTML. Code folding also works for programming languages such as Java. The score for code folding was 1.0.
16. Selecting rectangular block per column works using CTRL-SHIFT. Rectangular block selection works with word wrap enabled. The score for selecting rectangular block was a perfect 1.0.
17. Multiple selection is available using ALT. Search multiple selection does not work. The score for multiple selection was 0.5.
18. Distraction-free mode to hide panes works. Line numbers can not be toggled to improve distraction-free mode. The score for distraction-free was a perfect 1.0.
19. The file manager can be enabled by default. Media files can be dragged and dropped into the file manager pane. The score for file manager was 1.0.
20. Terminal is be enabled. The terminal does follow folder. Terminal can execute system commands. The score for terminal was 1.0.

Results

Zed is a lightweight IDE. By default, the Zed editor is missing required features that can be enabled or implemented by plugins. For my required features, the Zed editor scored 87.5% or 8.75 out of 10.

Next Steps in Your Programming Journey

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to sharpen your skills, using a fast and reliable editor like Zed is only the beginning.

I have a collection of **programming books** available on my Amazon Author Page that cover a range of topics to help you master your craft:

➡ **Explore my Programming Books:**
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➡ **View Programming Courses:**
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Need Personalized Help?

If you’re finding a particular topic challenging or want to rapidly accelerate your learning, I’m available for **one-on-one online programming tutorials**. We can work through specific problems, review code, and set a learning path tailored just for you.

➡ **Book a Tutorial Session:**
https://ojambo.com/contact

Do you love the look of Zed but need help getting it set up on your specific system, or are you looking to migrate from an older editor? I offer specialized technical services to ensure your development environment is running perfectly:

➡ **Get Help Installing Zed or Migrating Your Setup:**
https://ojamboservices.com/contact

Happy Coding!