This issue to explore how we might improve the (default) first run experience from the file explorer (and other areas).

Current Experience

Desktop

Today, when you install VS Code for the first time and open a file you are greeted with a series of views in the explorer:

1. Open Editors
2. Folders
3. Outline
4. Timeline
5. NPM Scripts

Proposal

We can consolidate some of the features that have overlap in other areas:

1. Hide Open Editors in favor of Editor Tabs
2. Folders - Keep Visible
3. Hide Outline in favor of Breadcrumbs + Go To Symbols in Editor
4. Timeline - Keep Collapsed
5. Hide NPM Scripts in favor of adding an action in the editor toolbar via codelenses in the package.json file to surface it

Other Ideas

In addition to this proposal, we also discussed the following options that would require more engineering effort:

• Once we add a secondary sidebar, we could move file specific views onto it (outline, timeline, etc.)
• For Codespaces: hide the remote explorer and surface port forward through the remote picker
• For the GitHub extension: combine the PR and Issues view into the SCM view since they are all git related features
• Make the sidebar headers clickable to surface the view options (right-click menu to toggle views)
• Add an action from the Go To Symbols in Editor quick pick that toggles the outline view