zlacker

The article starts out by saying that Notepad++ "is a text editor popular among developers". Really?

>>blueno+(OP)
LOL I guess the editors using Notepad++ downvoted you :P

>>blueno+(OP)
Literally yes: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/

>>blueno+(OP)
First three things I install on any machine - 7zip, Notepad++, alternate browser.

>>kotaKa+33
Yes, but I start with the browser. What are the Notepad++ alternatives on Linux and MacOS, for those times when I have to use them?

>>LostMy+b6
vim :)

>>TingPi+N
This might be a better link: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/technology#1-dev-id-es

It's listed as the third most popular IDE after Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio by respondents to Stack Overflow's annual survey. Interestingly, it's higher among professionals than learners. Maybe that's because learners are going to be using some of those newer AI-adjacent editors, or because learners are less likely to be using Windows at all.

I'm sure people will leap to the defense of their chosen text editor, like they always do. "Oh, they separated vim and Neovim! Those are basically the same! I can combine those, really, to get a better score!" But I think a better takeaway is that it's incredible that Notepad++, an open source application exclusive to Windows that has had, basically, a single developer over the course of 22 years, has managed to reach such a widespread audience. Especially when Scintilla's other related editors (SciTE, EditPlus) essentially don't rate.

>>da_chi+R7
>Maybe that's because learners are going to be using some of those newer AI-adjacent editors, or because learners are less likely to be using Windows at all.

You can use the 2022 (ie. pre-chatgpt) results for control for that. The results are basically the same.

https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022/#most-popular-technolog...

>>LostMy+b6
I love a feature of notepad++ where when you have documents open and exit, it won't bother you with a save dialog and when you open it again the previous state will be there. I found that mousepad on linux can do this.

For something functionality close I would look at Kate.

>>kotaKa+33
Same, but additionally Irfanview. And once upon a time, Media Player Classic used to be on that list.

This train of thought made me go find https://www.oldversion.com/. For a while, that was invaluable.

>>dizhn+v9
I love and hate it at the same time, just like my browser tabs hoarding, it means I currently have 218 open documents on Notepad++ (and 96 browser tabs). I might not even need them anymore, but it's always "I'll look at them... later".

>>blueno+(OP)
I enjoy coding something new up in Notepad++, without any annoying autocomplete and jank. I call it unplugged (acoustic?) mode. Jeepers Visual Studio these days starts autocompleting if and while for example and sometimes doesn't respect normal keystrokes because it expects me to complete these kind of interactions instead.

>>LostMy+b6
Sublime maybe?

>>kotaKa+33
Same, I use ninite for that.

>>LostMy+b6
Sublime Text. I think it's better than Notepad++ and is available for all computer platforms, not just Windows.

>>da_chi+R7
I think the argument you made for combining vim and neovim is pretty good actually. But it seems pretty unique to those two editors (well, throw vi in there if it ever shows up on the chart), so “worst” case notepad++ would be bumped down just one spot.

>>blueno+(OP)
I don't do a whole lot of development with it but if I need to open a random code file then it's much better than plain old Notepad.

>>LostMy+b6
Geany. Both npp and geany use the same editor component.

>>bee_ri+3i
No, it's not.

If vim were good enough, neovim wouldn't exist. If neovim were that much better, vim wouldn't still be as popular as it is. And if neither of them did anything worth picking up, then vi would still outrank them.

The conclusion is that they don't do the same things. They just both have the vi interface. But having a vi interface isn't particularly weird anymore. SublimeText and vscode have vi bindings. So does PyCharm/IntelliJ. So does Notepad++! Heck, so does nano! So who gets to claim those editors? Vscode is the most popular editor that supports a vi-like interface. Shouldn't that mean that vscode is the best of the "vi descendants"? Or does it mean that all these people were okay with the vi interface, but had a good reason not to make the choice they did for another editor?

Fundamentally, the issue is: Either choice matters, or popularity doesn't matter. You can't have it both ways.

>>bigstr+Lg
I don’t think licensed software is a valid alternative to freeware.

>>netsha+Qa
For the browser you can use something like Session Buddy. Save the session and move on secure in the knowledge that the tabs are there IF you need them.

https://sessionbuddy.com/

>>LostMy+b6
A lite (without node) version of Zed could be it.

>>LostMy+b6
BBEdit (free version of course).

>>dizhn+3T
Thanks, I use https://www.visibotech.com/search/label/FreshStart but Session Buddy looks more polished.

>>LostMy+b6
At least in past I gave up and just used N++ with Wine. It didn't fit the rest of system at all, but was more usable for editing simple text files than DE defaults of GEdit and Kate.

>>LostMy+b6
These kind of editors are typically already installed. Pluma, Kate, Emacs, Vi... If anything there is still nano.

And of course “Ed is the standard text editor.”

> https://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/ed-msg.en.html

>>dizhn+v9
or notepadqq

>>LostMy+b6
VSCode in UI land, nano/vim in terminal.