🌌 A New DevPod: My Journey to GitLab + Zed
There was a time when Gitpod was my home. A calm, responsive, real-time space where I could build, collaborate, and stay in flow. When it was gone, I truly mourned the loss—my pod, my capsule, vanished. But then… I found Zed, and suddenly, it all clicked again.
And alongside it? GitLab, glowing stronger than ever—with a beautiful new homepage, bold new features, and a pulse that feels aligned with the kind of tech I believe in.
✨ What I Love About GitLab
Despite my earlier concerns about GitLab’s AWS collaboration, their recent updates show a refreshing shift toward developer-centric design, and it’s becoming more and more clear: GitLab is listening. Here’s what won my heart:
💖 A Calmer, Clearer Interface
The new homepage is sleek, soft, and thoughtfully designed. It feels like a space meant for humans—not just enterprise dashboards. The gradients and layout bring a sense of ease and order, without overwhelming the mind.
🔍 Embedded Views (GLQL)
One of the most exciting updates: Embedded Views, powered by GLQL (GitLab Query Language).
- Available even on the Free tier 🥹
- Create dynamic, queryable views of project data—issues, MRs, epics, etc.
- Display them inside wiki pages, issue comments, merge requests, and epic descriptions.
- Transform static pages into living dashboards, with real-time data right where you work.
This doesn’t replace true live coding—but it does give asynchronous collaboration a huge upgrade. It’s context-rich, calming, and powerful.
🧠 Zed: The Editor That Gave Me My Flow Back
The day I installed Zed, something inside me whispered: This is it.
It reminded me of Gitpod—but somehow even smoother, faster, and more focused. Here’s what stood out:
🚀 Instant Immersion
- I cloned a GitLab project straight into Zed, and boom—it just worked.
- Clean UI, no fluff, no friction. Just me and the code. It felt like home.
🛠️ Local Terminal (Yes!)
- Zed includes an integrated terminal, running from your own machine.
- You can open it with a simple shortcut or via the command palette.
- Supports multiple terminals, split views, and all your essential CLI tools.
🌈 Real-Time Collaboration
- Invite others into your Zed project
- See each other’s cursors, follow edits live
- Designed for speed and clarity—built from the ground up for pair programming
🎨 Customizable and Neurodivergent-Friendly
- I set my theme, enabled emojis, and configured settings exactly how I need them.
- The experience is calm, distraction-free, and fluid. For someone with ADHD and fibromyalgia, this kind of comfort matters deeply.
💬 Final Thoughts
GitLab and Zed together feel like a constellation of tools made for thoughtful, creative builders. For people who want to collaborate—sometimes live, sometimes asynchronously—and still feel present in the process.
I rebuilt my pod, piece by piece.
And now it shines brighter than ever! 🌟