I was working in StackBlitz and thinking about the potential future of Cloud Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). While they provide a convenient way to quickly set up configured development environments, I believe they won't entirely replace on-device development environments for everyday engineering tasks. They may, however, find their niche in replacing Virtual Desktop Environment (VDE) software, especially in situations where contractual restrictions prevent storing codebases locally, as is often the case for consulting companies.

Here are some reasons why I think local development environments will continue to dominate:

1. Freedom of Tooling Choice: In your local environment, you have the freedom to select and customize tools and plugins that align perfectly with your workflow. You can even use proprietary tools if necessary, which can be challenging to integrate into online IDEs.

2. Databases: While it's possible to create a development database in the cloud for certain use cases, having a local database can be indispensable. Whether you need it for testing migrations or simply for experimenting with data, a local environment offers greater flexibility. GitHub Codespaces does allow the use of Docker images, but this can add to your bill, leading to the next point.

3. Pricing: Cloud IDEs often come with a price tag. GitHub Codespaces, for instance, bills on a per-core, per-hour basis, while CodeSandbox charges $15 per month per editor. AWS Cloud9's pricing is tied to the underlying EC2 instance usage. Paying a monthly fee for a tool that offers a subset of the capabilities available in your local environment may not be cost-effective for many developers.