We will be retiring the beta shortly and will be removing the button to get to it and ceasing support for it. The beta garnered negative feedback from the Stack Overflow community, including observations that it looked more like a general discussion site such as Reddit and was losing the essence of what made it successful: precise questions and community-validated answers.
Microsoft did not send me any emails or prior warnings. I have received no explanation for the termination and their message indicates that no appeal is possible. I have tried to contact Microsoft through various channels but I have only received automated replies and bots. I was unable to reach a human.
Open VSX is operated by the Eclipse Foundation, and provides extensions unencumbered by the restriction Microsoft places on the VS Code marketplace that "alternative products including those built on a fork of the Code-OSS Repository, are not permitted to access the Visual Studio Marketplace." Microsoft cites security and compatibility as reasons, and there is no business case to "run a full-scale global service for everyone to use."
