<p dir="auto">The <code class="notranslate">editor.insertSpaces</code> setting can autodetect if it should insert spaces or tabs. Some people like tabs more then spaces, but it's just personal preference.</p>
<p dir="auto">I think in Code &lt; 0.10 it inserted tabs when the setting was set to <code class="notranslate">auto</code>. In Code &gt;= 0.10 it changed to spaces. I'm more a tab guy, except for <code class="notranslate">json</code> files. So that's why I don't want to set it to <code class="notranslate">false</code> because I would have to change it forth and back when in a JSON file.</p>
<p dir="auto">The setting should not be reverted, but maybe an extra setting like <code class="notranslate">editor.insertSpacesDefault</code> which can only be set to <code class="notranslate">true</code> and <code class="notranslate">false</code> and has a default of <code class="notranslate">true</code> (to not break the current behaviour). If <code class="notranslate">editor.insertSpaces</code> is set to <code class="notranslate">auto</code> and a new file is created, it will check the <code class="notranslate">editor.insertSpacesDefault</code> setting.</p>
<p dir="auto"><a class="user-mention notranslate" data-hovercard-type="user" data-hovercard-url="/users/alexandrudima/hovercard" data-octo-click="hovercard-link-click" data-octo-dimensions="link_type:self" href="https://github.com/alexandrudima">@alexandrudima</a> I guess you are the person for this as you wrote the tests regarding the <code class="notranslate">insertSpaces</code> autodetect :)</p>
<p dir="auto">When <code class="notranslate">insertSpaces = auto</code> is set and you create a new file, pressing the tab key will insert spaces rather than a tab character.  This is a problematic default because it means there is no easy way to actually get the first tab into the file so the <code class="notranslate">auto</code> can start learning what the file's indentation mechanism is.  If you want space indent, you can simply press the space bar a few times to start the learning process.  In order to start a new file with tab indentation though you (currently) need to go find another file with a tab in it, copy the tab, and paste it into the new file.</p>
<p dir="auto">I recommend having the fallback behavior for an empty file be that the space bar inserts spaces and the tab key inserts tabs.  This way both camps (spaces and tabs) have the ability to reasonably start new files when in auto-mode.</p>