Compared to IntelliJ, VSCode feels "messy" (I don't know how to describe it).
I'm trying to convert myself, though, because I need to work on a less powerful machine (from MacBook Pro to MacBook Air). Any tip from successful IntelliJ -> VSCode convert?
Other than that, you'll just have to accept that any first-party support from IntelliJ will require 1–3 plugins. 3 for Java, Docker, 3 plugins for React, npm, Prettier, SonarLint, Copilot, database, Gitlens, Maven — don't be surprised if a single project becomes usable only after 20+ plugins.
How old is your copy of IJ that you need to download the Maven plugin? To the very best of my knowledge, every one of these in the "plugins" directory ships with IJ and is not something one needs to download from the JetBrains marketplace: https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/tree/idea/25...
I obviously can't link to the GitHub repo for IJ Ultimate but the DataGrip behavior is similarly bundled. What may be up for hair-splitting is that think they do use the concept of plugins as an update mechanism. That is: I don't think one could download a copy of IJ Ultimate that doesn't speak Java, Docker, npm, database, or Maven. But they do use plugins such that one could acquire a bug-fix to (e.g.) the Docker plugin without having to re-download the whole IJ
Most of the inertia that stops people changing is just muscle memory. Once you fix that, it’s fine.
Also, if you write plugins, check out the plugin guide. Maintaining IntelliJ plugins has driven me away; once you start writing vscode plugins you’ll find it a good reason to stay.