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Microsoft's Visual Studio Code build — optional alternative to the VSCodium your distro ships

  • Version recorded: 1.104
  • Categories: workstation
  • Upstream: https://code.visualstudio.com/
  • Not a recommended default — installed only when asked for.

What it does

Microsoft's build of Visual Studio Code, a graphical source-code editor with an integrated terminal, debugger and extension system.

Why you would want it

One reason, and it is a functional one: the Microsoft build can install extensions from the Visual Studio Marketplace, and VSCodium cannot. The marketplace's terms restrict it to Microsoft's own product, so VSCodium uses Open VSX instead. Open VSX carries most popular extensions but not all of them, and some — including Microsoft's own remote-development, Python and C++ extensions — are licensed so that they only run in the Microsoft build. If you need one of those, this is the only way to get it.

Before it will work

None beyond a working apt. This coexists with VSCodium: different binary (code versus codium), different config directory, different extension directory. Installing this does not remove or alter VSCodium.

How it installs

  • apt: code

What it changes on your machine

  • apt_pin — Adds Microsoft's apt repository and pins its signing key
  • Writes /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-vscode.sources and installs the signing key to /etc/apt/keyrings/microsoft-vscode.gpg, with Signed-By pointing at that keyring so the key is trusted for this repository only and not archive-wide.
  • undo: sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft-vscode.sources /etc/apt/keyrings/microsoft-vscode.gpg && sudo apt update

Third-party apt repositories

Added only when the target's own archive has no candidate, and only after you affirm the key fingerprint (D-040); --yes does not answer it.

Known problems

The trade-off, stated plainly in both directions. Microsoft's build is compiled from the same open source as VSCodium but is distributed under a proprietary licence and includes telemetry that is enabled by default; VSCodium exists specifically to provide a build without either, which is why Parrot ships it. Against that: the marketplace restriction above is real and is not something VSCodium can fix, because it is a licensing decision rather than a technical one. Telemetry can be turned off in settings (telemetry.telemetryLevel: "off"), which reduces but does not eliminate the difference. Both positions are defensible; this manifest takes neither and installs nothing unless asked.

Keeping it current

  • probe: apt policy
  • strategy: apt_upgrade
  • Microsoft ships a new stable roughly monthly through this repository, so normal apt upgrade keeps it current once the repository is configured.

Where to get help with the software itself

https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues

Source: catalog/packages/code.yaml