Devs Sound Alarm After Microsoft Subtracts C/C++ Extension From VS Code Forks (theregister.com) 22
Some developers are "crying foul" after Microsoft's C/C++ extension for Visual Studio Code stopped working with VS Code derivatives like VS Codium and Cursor, reports The Register. The move has prompted Cursor to transition to open-source alternatives, while some developers are calling for a regulatory investigation into Microsoft's alleged anti-competitive behavior. From the report: In early April, programmers using VS Codium, an open-source fork of Microsoft's MIT-licensed VS Code, and Cursor, a commercial AI code assistant built from the VS Code codebase, noticed that the C/C++ extension stopped working. The extension adds C/C++ language support, such as Intellisense code completion and debugging, to VS Code. The removal of these capabilities from competing tools breaks developer workflows, hobbles the editor, and arguably hinders competition. The breaking change appears to have occurred with the release of v1.24.5 on April 3, 2025.
Following the April update, attempts to install the C/C++ extension outside of VS Code generate this error message: "The C/C++ extension may be used only with Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Studio for Mac, Visual Studio Code, Azure DevOps, Team Foundation Server, and successor Microsoft products and services to develop and test your applications." Microsoft has forbidden the use of its extensions outside of its own software products since at least September 2020, when the current licensing terms were published. But it hasn't enforced those terms in its C/C++ extension with an environment check in its binaries until now. [...]
Developers discussing the issue in Cursor's GitHub repo have noted that Microsoft recently rolled out a competing AI software agent capability, dubbed Agent Mode, within its Copilot software. One such developer who contacted us anonymously told The Register they sent a letter about the situation to the US Federal Trade Commission, asking them to probe Microsoft for unfair competition -- alleging self-preferencing, bundling Copilot without a removal option, and blocking rivals like Cursor to lock users into its AI ecosystem.
Following the April update, attempts to install the C/C++ extension outside of VS Code generate this error message: "The C/C++ extension may be used only with Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Studio for Mac, Visual Studio Code, Azure DevOps, Team Foundation Server, and successor Microsoft products and services to develop and test your applications." Microsoft has forbidden the use of its extensions outside of its own software products since at least September 2020, when the current licensing terms were published. But it hasn't enforced those terms in its C/C++ extension with an environment check in its binaries until now. [...]
Developers discussing the issue in Cursor's GitHub repo have noted that Microsoft recently rolled out a competing AI software agent capability, dubbed Agent Mode, within its Copilot software. One such developer who contacted us anonymously told The Register they sent a letter about the situation to the US Federal Trade Commission, asking them to probe Microsoft for unfair competition -- alleging self-preferencing, bundling Copilot without a removal option, and blocking rivals like Cursor to lock users into its AI ecosystem.
Embrace, extend, extinguish (Score:2)
Sound familiar?
Best get used to it. There'll be much more of this crap - and much worse varieties of it - now that the US is a full-on Fascist state increasingly ruled by robber barons.
Re: (Score:3)
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That can't be allowed to matter, because the end user can't tell the difference. So you judge them on whether and how quickly they fix the problem.
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> Was this actually deliberate though or was it just the standard Microsoft development practice of fucking around with things that don't need fucking around with, causing them to break, and then ignoring the fact that there's a problem?
This is not a bug, it's a feature. It's called bait-and-switch ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] )
Fun at Parties says (Score:2)
You guys are screwed.
I use vim and I don't have any problem (Score:4, Insightful)
https://medium.com/techiepedia... [medium.com]
OK (Score:3)
In early April, programmers using VS Codium, an open-source fork of Microsoft's MIT-licensed VS Code, and Cursor, a commercial AI code assistant built from the VS Code codebase, noticed that the C/C++ extension stopped working.
If it's an open-source fork, and it stopped working, fork it again from when it did work and maintain it yourselves. They're still publishing all the information you need for that, right?
Re:OK (Score:4, Informative)
It's not the open-source VSCode forks that stopped working, it's the closed-source MS extension for C/C++. They now refuse to load on anything than the real McCoy.
Running the extension on third-party VSCode forks was never allowed by the ToS, but now it's actively enforced.
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Oh, I get it now. I must have used my brain too much today, I guess I will go shoot virtual stuff.
I did read the part about it not being enforced previously and now it is. I can't really get too upset about that, though. If the license already said they weren't allowed to do it, shrug. Don't get any on ya.
Oh no! (Score:5, Insightful)
The proprietary freeware IDE with free toolchain has restrictions placed on it by its owner. Almost like it's a commercial product demo rather than an open source project.
Stick with GNU ladies and gentlemen. Or be at the mercy of your vendor.
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There are no restrictions on the IDE, only on the C/C++ extension, which was never open source.
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Visual Studio Code is a distribution of the Code - OSS repository with Microsoft-specific customizations released under a traditional Microsoft product license.
The IDE(*) isn't really OSS either [visualstudio.com]. The article is certainly about the C/C++ extension, but most of the other Microsoft extensions (like Pylance) are also "only available in binary form and is released under a Microsoft proprietary license".
* the validity of this statement changes depending on if you're calling the whole distribution an IDE or the Atom component the IDE.
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People complain that proprietary plugins only work with the open-source tool they they're contributing to, and your answer is to switch to another tool where the plugins are still unsupported? How does that make any sense or help?
You just went full retard.
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The proprietary freeware IDE with free toolchain has restrictions placed on it by its owner.
What are you on about?
https://github.com/microsoft/v... [github.com]
MIT license. Fix it yourself.
Indeed... (Score:2)
As was made very clear in the TOS for the extension from the beginning, it has closed source parts and is only supported on VSCode. This is not a rug pull. It's just enforcing what was there always. Also, Microsoft isn't going to provide support and fixes for third party forks, which is fine with me.
Besides, for the forks are often AI bubble "we haz ChatGPT, gives us billonzs" products, well, meh.
If this leads to an better open source C/C++ extension, that's awesome as well.
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Sorry, it *was* a rug pull, even if the TOS is as you say. They changed the operating environment that was paid for without permission from the one who purchased it.
If you took the TOS seriously, you would run, not walk, away from using any Microsoft product. (I read the thing in 2000, and immediately switched of of using Microsoft products, and always required someone else to punch the "agree" button during any installation, because I didn't agree.)
Frustrating but,,, (Score:3)
Is it bad faith on Microsoft’s part, of course, but this is expected behaviour from Microsoft who are at their core a proprietary software company that doesn’t truly embrace the open software ideals. We should be grateful that VS Code was put in the open by Microsoft, as that in itself is very unusual for them.
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User Agent Switcher for VS Code (Score:2)
They still want their cake and to eat it too.
LoB
Just fake it... (Score:2)
Just figure out what you need to hand the extention in terms of data to make it think its running on VS Code and not a fork and make your fork send that...
Jetbrains CLion anyone? (Score:1)