----- 2016 -----
Me: Hey Microsoft, how do I stop the Output window popping-up every time I run a task in VSCode?
MS: Just click the 'hide' button on the window.
Me: The 'hide' button? Where's tha- oh, you've made 'x' mean 'hide' there. Didn't we standardise that to mean 'close' about 40 years ago?
MS: Yeah, but, y'know, millennials, or something. COVID. Anyway, click 'x' to hide.
Me: OK whatever. Oh, hey, it didn't work. The Output window popped-up again the next time I ran my task.
MS: Yeah, it'll do that.
Me: So how do I make it *not* do that?
MS: You can't.
Me: What? No, look, are we talking about the same thing? The Output window that pops-up?
MS: Yep. It'll pop-up right there, super-helpfully, whenever you run a task.
Me: Yeah but I don't want it to. It obscures a huge chunk of editor real-estate.
MS: Uh-huh. Your point being...?
Me: Well, I rarely need the Output window open. And when I do, I can open it myself using the View menu, or the keyboard shortcut.
MS: Yeah, and we made it open automatically too! Cool, eh?
Me: No! Not cool! When VICE opens and I'm trying to debug in the monitor with my sourcecode open in the editor alongside it, I have to click back to VSCode and close the Output window which has popped-up and hidden a huge chunk of the code. Every time.
MS: Uh-huh. Your point being...?
Me: Well, given that there are about a million configuration settings for VSCode, isn't there one to tell the Output window to stay hidden unless manually opened?
MS: No.
Me: Well, can you add one?
MS: Ooh, well, I mean, that's kinda out of scope really. Lot of work. Big change. Could break stuff, maybe. I suppose we could look at it one day, if we have time. Maybe.
Me: FFS.
----- 2025 -----
MS: Hey, we just added 'workbench.view.showQuietly' as a VSCode configuration option to stop the Output window automatically popping-up.
Me: Sweet baby jebus the pain is ended.