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What is a UDE?

The Unified Development Environment is the next evolution in how software gets built.

IDEs Were Built for a Different Era

Integrated Development Environments were designed when coding meant one person, one language, one editor. That world no longer exists.

Today's development requires a constellation of tools: editor, terminal, browser, documentation, AI chat, Docker, Git GUI, note-taking apps, debugging tools. Developers constantly alt-tab between 5-10 applications just to complete basic tasks.

Every tool requires manual setup and configuration. New developers spend days—sometimes weeks—just setting up their environment before writing a single line of code.

The “integrated” in IDE is a lie. Nothing is truly integrated anymore.

What is a Unified Development Environment?

A UDE brings everything into one window: editor, browser, AI agents, terminal, canvas, notes, and more. It's not a collection of tools—it's a single, cohesive experience.

“Unified” means actually unified—not plugins bolted on, but components built as one integrated system. Every feature is aware of every other feature.

The Core Principle

1-click setup for everything. Docker? One click. Git? One click. Deploy? One click. No configuration files, no terminal commands, no setup guides.

UDEs are designed for the agent-first era where AI does the heavy lifting and humans direct the work. They're built for developers who want speed, product managers who want to build, and “vibe coders” who know what they want but not necessarily how to code it.

UDE vs IDE: What's the Difference?

Philosophy

IDE

Tools for developers

UDE

Platform for builders

Setup

IDE

Manual configuration

UDE

1-click, zero config

AI

IDE

Add-on/plugin

UDE

Agent-first, built-in

Scope

IDE

Code editing + some tools

UDE

Everything: edit, browse, chat, test, deploy

Target user

IDE

Developers

UDE

Everyone who wants to build

Context switching

IDE

Constant alt-tabbing

UDE

Never leave the app

Learning curve

IDE

Steep

UDE

Use it like ChatGPT

Who Should Use a UDE?

Developers

  • Get everything VSCode offers without the setup complexity
  • Full customization available when you want it
  • AI agents handle boilerplate—you focus on architecture

Product Managers

  • Build prototypes without waiting for engineering
  • Go from idea to working demo in hours
  • No terminal commands, no config files

Vibe Coders

  • You know what you want to build, not how to build it
  • Describe it, the agents build it
  • Simple interface like ChatGPT, but for creating software

Why “Agent-First” Matters

Traditional IDEs operate on a simple model: humans write code, AI assists. This approach treats AI as a helpful autocomplete—useful, but limited.

Agent-first UDEs flip this model. AI agents do the work. Humans provide direction.

Agents handle:

  • Scaffolding and boilerplate
  • Debugging and error resolution
  • Testing and validation
  • Deployment and configuration
  • Documentation

Humans handle:

  • Decisions and tradeoffs
  • Creativity and vision
  • Product direction
  • Quality standards
  • User experience

This isn't about replacing developers. It's about letting everyone build.

Orbit: The First Agent-First UDE

Orbit is built from the ground up as a UDE, not an IDE with features bolted on. It runs on VSCode's engine, so you don't lose any functionality—but the experience is completely different.

Simple. Unified. Zero config.

What's included:

Editor, browser with DevTools, AI chat, multi-agent system, visual canvas, integrated terminal, notes, music player—everything a builder needs in one window.

Currently in beta. Free to try.

Join the WaitlistSee Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Have more questions? Check out our full FAQ.

Ready to try the future of development?

Orbit is free during beta. Join thousands of builders who've already made the switch.

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