You can also use the iris.system object in python. 

iris.system.Version.GetVersion() returns the full version ($ZV)

IRIS for UNIX (Ubuntu Server LTS for x86-64 Containers) 2022.2 (Build 356U) Thu Oct 6 2022 22:56:28 EDT

There are other methods here to call to such as GetMajor() which would return '2022' and GetPlatform() which returns 'Ubuntu Server LTS for x86-64 Containers'

do dir(iris.system.Version) at the python shell to see them all.

For the second part of the question do you have the '%System/%SQL/PrivilegeFailure' System Audit Event enabled?

Careful with the 'objectscript.export' folder setting.  This needs to match where, under the root of your VScode project, your source lives.  For example my settings are:

        "folder": "iris/image/iris_src/dev",
        "addCategory": true,

So under my VScode project folder I have the path indicated in Folder.  This is how my git repository is setup.  Now my 'addCategory' is also true.  Therefore under that /dev folder I have sub-folders for 'cls' and 'rtn'.  All my classes should be under the 'cls' folder and any routines are under 'rtn'.  There are other sub folder too for other elements, but you should get the idea.

To add to the puzzle there is also the setting "objectscript.export.atelier".  With this setting true the plug in expects each package and sub-package to be a separate directory.  So if I have a class Example.code.test what you will end up with is a path, given my setup above, under vs code that looks like this.

iris/image/iris_src/dev/cls/Example/code/test.cls

If the file whose definition you are trying to get to is not in the right place it will open it in read-only mode from the server when using Client-side editing