Load times are the Achilles' heel of a well-configured ZSH terminal. We’re going to look at how Fig can improve your ZSH experience and make you feel like a seasoned pro when using your terminal. I can never go back.
In my opinion, the best way to decide if doing something in the terminal is worth it - is - does it save you time? While it can be beneficial to practice some stoicism and force the utilization of the command line. You don't want a git add . slowing down that PR you need to get out.
I've been serious about the terminal since my first "tech" job as an IT support guy when I was 18. I remember buying a command-line book, learning the 101s like cd and ls -la, and feeling like I was finally starting to tame this beast called the 13-inch Macbook Pro. Ever since that job I could rely on my basic terminal skills to get through a few headaches and perform some file copying magic.
My terminal swagger remained largely unchanged, even through my internship. It wasn't until I went full-time and got a new laptop a year later. This Macbook had a new default shell - ZSH. I can't quite recall what didn't work from the get-go, but it forced me to explore this foreign entity called ZSH. Google told me it was better than bash, and then I found this article: iTerm2 + zsh + oh-my-zsh The Most Power Full Terminal on macOS.
It was clear that spending a few hours learning about ZSH, customizing a config file, and integrating it with VsCode could really improve my productivity. I was right, the autocomplete, highlighting, and branch status is something I probably couldn't live without. However, there was something always lingering.
Oh-my-zsh slow load times because of plugins.
Now look, I didn't audit my zsh plugin list until today. I am sure with a bit of TLC I could've marginally improved my loading times. I actually found this great article that easily shows you what plugins are taking the longest to load. However, I needed these crutches.
I learned that it took my terminal about 1.3 seconds to fully load. With the number of times I open a terminal in VsCode this feels like 5+ seconds. Again, the functionality was so useful I shrugged it off. Then one day - I solved the problem of long ZSH load times without even trying to.
Seeing the light
Fig.io has been the biggest improvement in developer experience, for me, for as long as I can remember. I know things like Git and VsCode are bigger deals historically, but while I've been a conscious (aka dutifully employed lol) developer, this is it. It takes ZSH plugins and makes them look like a kid's toy. To put it simply, Fig adds VsCode style autocomplete to your terminal. Type in any command you typically use, and a non-invasive dropdown pops up with suggestions. The best part about Fig?
It just works.
After a few hours with Fig, I realized that this is the way the terminal should be. Often, I have a pretty good idea what command I need to run, but having hints along the way makes sure I don't leave something out. Most importantly, I think the combination of ZSH and Fig is what makes it so world-changing. Computers shouldn't feel like black boxes, and neither should the terminal.
After realizing fig can do basically everything I ever needed in a terminal, the need for things like auto-jump went away. I also don't need plugins as Fig's is simply better. After deleting a plugin after plugin, my load time was cut in over half! ZSH feels snappy as ever and I as feel more confident than ever!
In part 2 of this series, I will talk about how easy it is to add an autocompletion spec and peel back the covers on some of the magic!
Nicholas Oxford
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