UltraEdit all the way, its well worth the expense.

Or GVim (yeah I am that old) !

xaqc

really, nothing beats Notepad++

Biggrz

Notepad++ is my favourite. Especially tabs and syntax hilighting

t3dy

Another vote for EditPad lite.

[www.editpadpro.com]

JonathanB

scrennie:

[i6.photobucket.com]

prozaker

Another vote for EditPad Lite.

[www.editpadpro.com]

JonathanB

My replacement notepad is GVim [www.vim.org] - but I wouldn't recommend it for novice users. I would recommend, hovever, the freeware editor Crimson Editor [www.crimsoneditor.com] , which has everything you need for a quick & dirty edit session - including the ability to actually replace Notepad.

Laur

TextPad, of course.

holocron

[www.xtort.net]
Long time buddy makes this nifty little proggy called XINT.

Didn't name it after me... just a coincidence I use the same usernick...

xint

Notepad++ and a second for Consolas font

SaGR

I have been using UltraEdit for nine years and I can't imagine programming without it. It does it all, it is fairly cheap, and it has good support.

kummerow

notepad++ for me, i've seen some other editors, but really couldnt compare to what npp ease of use and functionality.

screenie of npp with built in explorer, split tabbed view and colored code.

prozaker

Notepad++ is especially great for web coding - built in file Explorer in the left pane, code in the middle, and built in ftp upload in the right pane makes for a great work flow.

thomash

Yep Notepad++ and I don't even really code.

nick5768

UltraEdit when I needed it, which I no longer do. So just regular Notepad. Boring I know.

I'd love to have this same thread but w/ text editors for OS X. TextEdit just doesn't do it for me..

ross.m

Textpad FTW!

savvy999

I agree that if you are willing to pay for it then Utra-Edit is awesome.

For a free alternative I really like Notepad++. I especially like that there is a portable version of it which means I can have my syntax highlighting where ever I go.

The portable version can be found here: [portableapps.com]

EracMan

Notepad++ for me. I like the color option so I can keep track of my coding. :)

wickedcupofjoe

I used to user texturizer. But it's long gone. I really like Notepad++. The search/replace across files is lovely (I assume the other apps would also do this).

James

Voted for Notepad++, but TextPad and Crimson editor are runners-up for me.

Peeved Guy

EditPlus ftw!

freezejeans

EditPad Lite.

detection

Textpad is always a good choice.

jaba

I'm a programmer, so I tend to like editors with code support.

UltraEdit - Yes, you need to pay for it. Yes, it is worth it!

[www.ultraedit.com]

There are a few nice alternatives, but most are a bit unfriendly. SciTE is free, scriptable, and very very powerful. It's probably my favourite outside of UE.

[www.scintilla.org]

Headlam

Another vote for TextPad..

wolfkabal

ConTEXT. It's extremely lightweight, clean interface, easy to add new highlighters, and I like its autoindentation better than others I've used. It's been out of development for a while, but the project was recently purchased and will remain freeware.

[www.contexteditor.org]

turnersd

TextPad. I use it for everything: Java, HTML, XML... oh yeah, and plain text too.

Viva-La-Diva

regular notepad works for me, but then i do not open 100MB text files all the time, i just use it for an extended clipboard or short things only.

daybringer

Notepad++. Syntax highlighting for a crapload of languages, tab support, minimizes to the system tray, and the ability to see two sections of the same file simultaneously with the split-view are all awesome reasons to use it. Also, with recent versions, the global font in the style configurator is an even bigger reason to use it for me. Now, I can easily change the font across all languages to Consolas (the best programming font EVAR).

GrandStan

PSPad for me. Portable configuration, highly customizable interface, low resource usage, handles large files decently, are just some of the reasons PSPad is a win for me.

[www.pspad.com]

math0ne

Without question, gvim. Not only do you get the functionality of vi, but new unix users force themselves to use the ubiquitous unix editor even while in windows. Learning curve, but that's why you came.

leoeris

Ahhh, not enough love for Notepad++. It's my favorite of the bunch.

katra

The best thing about Notepad is not it's text editing ... it's that you can drop formated text into it to eliminate all the formatting marks, then copy the clean text back into your application so you can format the way you want.

drotor

I prefer to use one that isn't listed in the voting options, and I didn't see it in the comments anywhere...

LopeEdit

[www.lopesoft.com]

aaronspuler

Anther ConTEXTer here. I love that it's lightweight and that adding custom highlighters is effortless.

[www.contexteditor.org]

Mike626

VIM FTW!!!.... wait... nevermind.

PSPad is cool - but I kinda like the lighter Notepad2

invid

I use Notepad++. I like it.
I also use CoffeeCup HTML when it comes to HTML editting :)

tm2ts

Textpad for 10 years & counting. I have already mentioned several great features in previous comments, but forgot "Find In Files" which searches a directory of [source] files & creates a hyperlinked list to every occurrence of the desired string. No scripting necessary.

I love me some Textpad!

BlogsOfSteel

notepad++ for all the reasons already stated above plus dead simple ftp functionality through a plugin. it's also one of the few text editors that has an adjustable learning curve -- simple and usable notepad on the surface with complex options that only reveal itself when you decide to nerd out.

nunchuks

Sasha

I tend to use Notepad as I may be at 10 to 15 computers in one day and unless I carry my thumbdrive with me all the time, Notepad is on every Windows machine I work on. Since it is there, use it.

docbob

So little love for the Programmer's Notepad... I heart it.

Protector one

I use inType.

[intype.info]

edugas

I use metapad all the time just for general note-taking or simple text processing -- it's incredibly lightweight (it opens instantaneously) but it includes multiline S&R -- a nicety that many fuller-featured editors lack (or do it terribly -- Notepad++, I'm looking at you).

I'll use a heavier editor if I'm writing HTML or python or need regular expressions. Lately, I've been giving Notepad++ a shot.

Jonathan Harford

Since the requirement was free I went with my good old standby NotePad++.

If cheap were the option - then I'd have to pick EditPlus. $35 a license doesn't dent the wallet, and the feature set is jam packed.

If cost were not an option - well then my good old buddy CodeWright by Borland would be it! Yes the $299 dollar price tag dents the wallet, your pants, you and the chair you're sitting in - but its ease of use, full features and easy customization make up for it fast. It's a shame that Borland doesn't support it anymore, but it's worth the hunt.

Boter

+1 for UltraEdit. Well worth the money.

Chimaera

I've never really understood Notepad alternatives. The point of Notepad for me is that it's basic and essential functions only. When you add functionality to it, it suddenly ceases to be comparable to Notepad.

That's so deep.

OX4

I vote for Textpad! It helps me do amazing things with text files.

Kelly42

ph15h

Hi
I like ConText for code, and Jarte for notepad replacement. Jarte supports insertion of an image, table, and colorful text, colored background, and can be portable with installable on an USB drive. I guess Notepad2 will do what ConText does, but for insertion of images and stuff particularly on a machine on which there is no word, or office software, Jarte is great.

stillLearning

notepad2 all the way ^^

vBm

Textpad, it just runs, you can throw at it gigantic files and it will open them in no time...

ikeee

@EracMan: The original Notepad++ installer can install a portable version - just select the "Don't use %APPDATA%" checkbox when you install it. There's no need for the PortableApps wrapper (as is the case with over half of their offerings).

My new favorite is PlainEdit [www.gaijin.at] (the page is in German - hit the "Translate into English" link). It's a bit lighter than Notepad++, but it still has code highlighting and a tabbed interface.

joelena

Other: TextPad has been my alternative text editor of choice for quite a while now.

tencentsuitcase

Another for ConTEXT. It's lightweight and still feature-rich. I primarily use it for plain text. At home I use Coda.

EchoD

rikostan

PSPad All the way! Light on resources instant loading BUT loaded with features!

bmeouf

This poll is flawed. You need to have TextPad as a listed choice.

holocron

Notepad2. Windows Notepad has no features and is less useful than vi. I used to use TextPad (and loved it), but it and everything else have too many features (and Notepad++ goes a little "wonky" sometimes); Notepad2 keeps it "lite". Simple, good ol' plain text.

GlennA

None. I work in Visual Studio / SQL Server tools almost exclusively.

Greg P

yeah, I use notepad all the time *cough*gvim*cough*.

I believe cream, a modified version of gvim, is intended to bridge the gap from "notepad" style to hardcore vim.

[cream.sourceforge.net]
Now if they only called it creampad ...

catchmeifyoutry

n++ for sure!

Bash_

I use NoteTab light. Mainly because I didn't try Notepad++ so far, when I read the comments... How big is the difference?

Porree

I really can't understand why anyone would ever use Notepad. I used htmlKIT for just about everything since I always had it open. But I'm back to Mac full time now. Though I do think htmlKIT is better then BBEdit, given the huge price difference.

ChristianNorton

While notepad++ is amazing an app, it is not imho a notepad replacement. It is a cool app of its own, the fact that many use it to program is proof enough.

Notepad being a quick and dirty app, I find notepad2 more fitting a replacement since it is instant-fast, small and does not have a "heavy" interface nor too many features.

holyspidoo

GVIM/Emacs all other text editors are completely useless.

balls187++

NotePad++ all the way. I've been using it since v2 and it's always had the features I need.

jglessner

linxjp

I'm kind of a text editor freak. I try out a new one every couple of weeks. Typically, my editing boils down to this: Quick and dirty edits, I use gvim or SciTE. Larger project based tasks usually fall under the purview of jEdit.

I've used UltraEdit, and I have to say it's pretty good, but I prefer my editors to be cross platform so that I have a comfortable editing environment no matter the OS I'm using. However, for large editing tasks, UltraEdit is the way to go. A couple of years ago, I had to edit a multi GB file (approximately 3 GB in size). Every editor I used choked under the strain, except for 2: UltraEdit and Multi Edit. Both were dog slow editing that file, but UltraEdit was a bit more responsive, so it got the nod.

natet

VIM and GVIM

Thoria

I bounce between metapad and notetab light for serious text munching. Both have their advantages and limitations - and I use them accordingly.

wu-wei

Mori

EditPlus

ghosttie

GVIM all the way. I like to have the same environment on windows, linux, and mac.

I'd be hard pressed to find a box I couldn't ssh to and open some file with vim.

ahawks

PSPad gets my vote. I love its ability to edit straight off of my FTP server, without me needing to worry about downloading a local copy, editing, then re-uploading.

pineshome

EmEditor. Love it.

jonhutch

WordPad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac. Don't need anything fancy.

Jarick

Mori

Notepad2 is good and all, but like many others here, I have been using Notepad++ for a while now and I use it exclusively for programming that doesn't require an IDE. Plus - probably the most overlooked feature - you can define your OWN syntax highlighting rules (e.g., for your own language or a language not natively supported). I'm not aware of any editor that allows you to do that. Plus, it's free! Notepad++ ftw!

OnipSemaj

PSPad - it's actually much more than just a Notepad replacement...

msauter

Paid and heavyweight: TextPad. Works great, syntax highlights, integrated within-file search, and all the other odd features you only need twice a year, but are eternally thankful they're waiting for you.

Lightweight: I just stick to Notepad for the quick and dirty. Anything I need to do that it can't is worth opening Textpad for anyways. However, I used to use MetaPad a lot before TextPad.

palmerkun

cofu62

I think I am the only American fan of EmEditor ($$)... It's similar to UltraEdit but I find it more powerful and less confusing. Not to discount some of the fine programs mentioned above, but they all lack something or other and really, $40 is not too much to pay for more power and polish.

Rhywun

Yet another vote for TextPad.

beercheck

EditPad Lite is the greatest!

adumbguy

@Headlam: SciTe is good but I wouldn't really use it for a notepad replacement, great for coding though. Notepad++ got my vote it has everything I will ever need.

Woodsyx

PSPAD ftw :)

BugMeNot

Notepade++ definitely.

JiltedCitizen

I would say emacs, but then again it is not really a notepad replacement...

For environments without emacs, Notepad++ for me

Pengman

Another vote for Textpad.

Obsidian

Like for all other software, to get a good list of alternatives, I simply do a wiki search of comparison of text editors (or any other software).
I prefer notepad++ though.

AvgJoe

EditPad Lite!

geekily

I would go with Notepad++. Switched over to it about 6 months ago when I took a programming class. Syntax highlighting and built-in FTP client are awesome features. The FTP is especially nice during web design. You can upload your code quickly without switching to another program.

lurch89

Textpad.

finitethis

SciTE's pretty great, too, but I always seem to spend too much time configuring it.

yalestar

Ah, the text editor thread. It never gets old, in my opinion.

+1 for EmEditor. Like many of y'all, I'm a text editor freak. I've tried every one of them mentioned here, but I always come back to EmEditor. It's very lightweight, opens super-fast, handles 2GB+ files with no problem, is easy to script using JScript or VBScript and is great for running Java, Python, Ruby, etc. There are many freeware editors that do all that, but there's something about EmEditor that keeps me coming back. It's snappy and unobtrusive. Best $40 I ever spent.

Second place goes to PSPad.

yalestar

+1 vote for TextPad. I also use SciTE for AutoIt.

acastle

For various editing and other tasks, EMACS.

Doug.Tabuchi

I used to use TextPad several years ago, then made the switch to UltraEdit (got it with UltraCompare and lifetime free upgrades for both for around $70). UE works wonders on large data files, column manipulation, syntax coloring, built in FTP and Telnet, etc. simply an awesome tool.

Michael Kizer

I used to use metapad, but Notepad++ kills it.

MikeSims

+1 for PSPad

reeflections

NP++ all the way... for a code editor (I have actually replaced original notepad with it, been that way for years (VIA changing the name, place it in the system32 folder))

for any editing of Documents I absolutely go with OpenOffice,

tomjrace

TextPad (wish though it was cross-compatible)

BugMeNot

Notepad++. I used to use UltraEdit simply for its column-select / rectangular selection feature. Then I discovered that Notepad++ does this too, it's just hard to find (hint: hold Alt while selecting a block of text.)

RareButSerious

vi

ububbatu

wow it seems that everyone loves notepad++ or at least the majority. I think i will give it a try. right now i am using notepad2 :) i know is simple very simple, but i like it. I prefer small things.

ChambrasWeed

I've always used CodePad for my text-editing needs.

dashifen

I am a loyal N++ user (one of the first things I install with windows).

I am not a coder or anything of the such, but I do jot down notes a lot (and the little expandle boxes with a css file are neat) the tabs, the dual view (although more than 2 would be even better) and many more things make N++ a cut above the rest.

Now if only I could make a bullet list inside a notepad program...

Deadman36g

wordsmith

SuperEdi works quite well for me.

y0himba

Like a couple of people have already mentioned - it's all about Editpad Lite for me. :D

phoenix

N++ - for all the reasons mentioned here, plus built in session saver, regex search and replace, easy block comment/uncomment, a slew of TextFX functions that I use daily (trim trailing whitespace), and a growing list of plugins. Seems to have rapid development too.

whereisian

+1 for Notepad2

Here's a Tango Gnome Modifiaction for Notepad2
[tangoproject.wordpress.com]

stefeq

@BugMeNot:
Yeah that would be great, but for complicated stuff I found FTP>Textpad>FTP is generally faster than staying native with vi etc. on the *nix boxes.

BlogsOfSteel

I use komodoedit. Crossplatform and most of the features of my mac prefference: textmate, (but it isnt free)

lytfyre

Well, well... I didn't even know there were so many alternate Notepad replacements.
I've been using NoteTab Light - [www.notetab.com] - the freeware version.
Tabs, strips HTML, convert HTML to XML (sort-of), and few other features.
Now, I'll have to check out all these others...

fatuousplatitudes

Yet another vote for VIM. Steep learning curve, but huge payoff in terms of usability and cross-platformness.

fadecomic

No one editor does it all. NoteTab Light has the best search/replace I think, but no color/syntax. Notepad++ is the best otherwise...but I don't use either much any more. Learn vim people! :)

cisengineer

For the Windows developer out there, Notepad++ seems to be the most feature-complete and intuitive.

However, for anyone ready to really stretch the limits, give GVim a try. It's been a long-standing favorite on Linux for a reason.

-- Scott

Scott Wegner

+1 for Textpad

geckoist

I am amazed that it took until 1:53 for someone to mention NoteTab. [[www.notetab.com]] This program has a free version and two paid versions. Where it stands out from the competition is in its "clip" language, which allows the user to define short or long clips of text, but also a very capable programming capability. I use it for pretty sophisticated document assembly.

yclipse

SciTE is cross-platform so I'd be prepared to work on any OS. I tried Notepad++ and it's great, it's just that it's only for Windows. Notepad2 is great to just get rid of Notepad entirely and for quick editing (changing "Edit" in the right-click menu to open document with Notepad2).

lewdev

ooo I'm surprised Notepad2 is even listed. It usually isn't. But yeah, that's what I use. Not that I've tried anything else. It gets the job done.

2Perfect

I always keep coming back to Notepad++ for everything... XML, ascii files, .ini files, Visual Studio work, it replaces everything. It just feels so much cooler to use, it's fast and snappy, yet so powerful. Their Search and Replace is da bomb

burnblue

Another vote for (g)vim here.
It does everything you can think of, then 5x more.

There is a learning curve, however.

tastyfoot

I too vote for TextPad. An oldie but a goodie.

Nick P

Dustin Meadows

@turnersd: definitely context. :-)

dekay46

I can't be the only fan of vi...

JeffCarr

NoteTab user for several years now. Light, fast, powerful. Great for search/replace and regex document "cleaning".

ToddZ

phrits

TextPad
[www.textpad.com]

firoz

I always use Notetab Lite because it does everything I need it to.

LonPhillips

pspad

ACF

Gvim, or occasionally Crimson Editor. But generally, gvim.

bmearns

wordpad =p

illfatedpupulon

Must agree with Pengman. Emacs all the way and when not available Notepad++

sperotium

navigator99

PSPad

(Notepd++ is good, but I prefer PSPad)

alekdavis

Notepadd++ on Windows, gEdit on Linux

Jon

GVim with Cream is the way to go for newbies.

I first started hacking on SunOS 4.x. Where only vi was available. So now I use vim way too much. I even siwtch into vim mode in eclipse when I use that IDE.

microe

PSPad is the best I've found for Windows. [www.pspad.com]

I've tried Editpad, Notepad++, Notepad2, Notetab, UltraEdit, Programmer's Notepad, VIM, Omnipad, and several others that I've forgotten. So far, I've found PSPad to provide the most text manipulation options, programming language support, and (useful) additional tools while still being lightweight resource-wise. Plus it's free and portable. Notepad++ has a couple of features that PSPad doesn't have, but not enough to make it the go-to for all my text editing needs.

PSPad is the one-stop-shop for getting it done.

jjpeabody

Scite for me.

naveed

@Headlam: Agreed. Ultraedit and pay for it! :)

Bryan Price

" vim " my vote

Turis

I use NotepadPro v1, which is a free program and works very well. [www.vietmedia.host.sk]

bobzero

I use gvim in my work as a DBA and a programmer. The regex allows me to find and replace various strings easily as well as to search for particular texts. I view it as a definite asset to my work.

darkknight56

Forget Windows programs. I'll use vim if I'm already in the terminal, but otherwise, I'll use Kate.

theNitwit

lemonflavor

editpad because it has regular expressions

maver65

Notetab is the best for me. So best that I purchased the standard version and use it to store all my notes in TXT.

orkgandalf

Japanese Hidemaru. Edit the most obscure of encodings with ease.

nurikabe

Notepad++ & PSPad are my two favs. I haven't tried too many others. I like NP++ for its syntax highlighting capabilities. I still haven't fully explored it. I like PSPad for it's ability to quickly load large > 50MB text files.

enigmafyv

I'll have to go with Notepad++. When I use Windows, that has been my favorite.

I do most work with TextMate on OS X though

paraleipomena

Crimson Editor here.

ChrisAtVT

For OSX, try Bean. It's not exactly notepad, it's more like a mix between TextEdit and Word. It reads .doc files and all the fancy stuff, but it's blazing fast!

DaSal

GVim for the win!!

just_joce

TextPad: Excellent usage for regular text and coding, and allows file comparisons with a nice color coded key.

Eagerly awaiting their latest version, dubbed Maxipad, but they are having problems with buffer overflow.

DarkHumour

GrandStan highliights N++ well. I would mention the Macro features. I was able shft+ctrl+p through a 3000 line .txt document in seconds where all regular old notepad would do is sit on the taskbar and cry at being made to do some real work. ;)
Syntax highlighting is fabulous. I do my .php programming in N++.

drwoobie

kwrite. All the usual features, (relatively) fast start, regex search&replace, but above all: lucid.

iseeredntt

pseutro

Wow, a popular subject. I thought I would be the only TextPad user, but see several beat me to the punch and mentioned it. I have used it for about 9 years now.

howardd21

The thing I love about this site, although the editors themselves give Great advice, so do some of the commenters.

ph15h

notepad++

Pros:
+ tabs
+ plugins (ftp, diff/compare, functions, etc.)
+ fast loading

ahpatel

VOTE: PSPad

timofcourse

VOTE: PSPad

Too many features to list, but not "bloatware" like UltraEdit

timofcourse

When not using the Visual Studio IDE, I use Programmer's Notepad. It's open source, has some great features and is actively updated.

Instead of Consolas, try using Deja Vu Sans Mono. It's much more readable.

njrs

I know the Notepad2 is based on Scintilla, but With the original, I can install it in Ubuntu and Windows and retain the same look, feel and features. I can also run it from a USB drive. My favourite option is the word AutoComplete, that you can turn on in the Global Options file. Makes repetitive typing fast and accurate.

ddumond

textpad here, too

thepez

I've been checking out the consolas font mentioned in the comments here, and I have to agree, that is the most awesome programming font EVER.

For those without Vista, you can get it (and the other Vista fonts) by installing the PowerPoint 2007 Viewer.

If you write code I would recommend that you check this font out.

jglessner

Wow, all of these comments and I've only seen jEdit mentioned once. It is a wonderful piece of software: works very well, easily extensible using Java, rich plug-in set available, etc.

thor222

Gerard Sorme

CarltonBale

Notepad++, although I often only use it for programming purposes.

jasonk47

I can't believe there's not any other homesite fans out there...

best.text.editor.ever. At least for me.

Twitch

all of the above!
Notepad is great for a general purpose viewer/ place to store things for temporary use. It supports unicode and is on every system.
Notepad2 supports syntax editing and dark bg mode.
zulupad is awesome for taking notes, but I prefer TK Outline.
vim is awesome for coding and reading just about anything. The vmore tip at vim tips is great for making it a code viewer. Add to that ctag support and you can navigate the gnarliest of code bases.
visual studio intellisense is still the best out there.
Ultra Edit is my favorite and my fall back editor. It's best for me for doing all sorts of stuff. Any manipulation I can do in UE. And it's grep style find that "list all lines containing text" is the most awesome feature ever. It's syntax support is awesome. It's regex support is awesome. It's macro support is awesome. It's project support is good. it's intellisense rivals vim with tabplus.
notepad++ is very impressive, but it's menu layout is rough. It has a great "align lines by =" or "align lines by clipboard text" that will line up your code like emacs does. vim does this with a plugin. Ue can do this with a macro. but notepad++ does it out of the box. (emacs too).
editor2 comes with explorer2 and is very light weight and really fast.
source insight has amazing project management ability. It can suck in a gig of files and create symbol table for all of it in no time. it's fast. It doesn't have tabs and likes to hide what file I'm in. i know that's the philosphy - that you're in the code. It doesn't matter which file you're in, but that irks me.
Eclipse is great for java. I feel at home there like I do in UE.
TextPad is almost as good as UE. Probably just as good, but I fell for UE first.
I used to like editpad lite, but I grew out of it. I don't remember why.
Wingware's IDE for python is worth the money and has a vi emulation mode that rocks.
Powershell Plus is the best way to code for powershell and it's built-in editor is awesome for XML. It gives you some VS style XML tools for free. It sports a ribbon like office.
For comparing files the best, the best freaking program is Beyond Compare. It's unrivaled, in my opinion. Vi can do it, so can UE, VS comes with windiff, and diff on unix/cygwin/gnuutils is great, but beyond compare is amazing.
I haven't tried slickedit, heard good things.
I also like Programmer's Notepad and Jedit.
JDarkRoom is useful at times too.
In addition to all these programs, i use grep/cat/more(actually less)/vmore(see above)/sed and awk all the freakin time. On windows vista I also use findstr/where/and type quite a bit. where is freakin' fast on my machine. sed has started to replace UE for a bunch of things, but not everything. believe it or not excel is pretty useful for text manipulation as well. firefox is pretty useful for reading code too - especially with the find acts like safari hack posted here last week.
you can never have enough tools.

azpat

EditPad Lite, baby!

gopanthers

There are a couple features of N++ that I like, but Textpad is the all time winner for me.

JakeRobinson

emacs +1

Barron

jrobiii

jrobiii

I give my nod to EditPad Lite too. Simple, clean, elegant - the tabs are useful!

Torley

Pspad

SystemMonitor

Vim/Gvim

But I've been transitioning to

The E Editor

SuperChuck

I started with EditPlus, which is still very good.

Then I went to UltraEdit. I couldn't live without column editing and at the time I really used the ftp editing heavily.

Then went to jEdit, because it had everything that I did with UE, but it is free so I didn't have to hunt down my license whenever I reloaded Windows.

Then I went to vim/gvim, because I do a lot of editing on linux/unix boxen, and using vim on windows helped me to get better when all I had was vi/vim on unix/linux/aix command line, not to mention that it is smokin' fast when compared to jEdit. Also, ftp is shutdown to superuser on unix systems usually, so you need a "local" editor.

As far as notepad replacement, if I am not going to use vim, which is NOT a notepad replacement, in my opinion, then I just use notepad, possibly editplus if i need ftp. For some reason the ftp support in vim doesn't work right when editing files on my xbox. I'll have to look into some that I've read about here, because editplus is shareware, so I have a nag screen when it starts.

chrishad95

Used to be an avid notepad2 user but now notepad++ is my weapon of choice especially when I'm working with ACLs in Cisco IOS and trying to do column inserts and stuff. It's also fantastic for doing PHP, perl, etc.

JiveMasterT

Another vote for Metapad; quick & lightweight with a much smarter undo system than Notepad being the major reason I switched. Most of my development is in VS though, so I don't need the syntax highlighting etc. of Notepad2/++.

MichaelTV

@iseeredntt:
Have you tried Kate? It knocks the socks off Kwrite.
When I'm coding I like Kate, but I'm a vi man when it comes to CLI editing (that goes beyond '$ echo "Text Sample" >> File.Name' =)
On Windows I use NotePad++.

PReDiToR

Sorry to post again, but as the poll is for "Notepad replacement" my vote is for Notepad2. To my mind that means something that would start instantly even on a 486.

Metapad is the only one I've ever used and found useful that has an .exe file reasonably close in size to the original notepad - and I've been searching for years. Notepad2 comes close (and seems to be inspired by Metapad), but maybe just because I've become so used to it, I'm still stuck on metapad.

But, Metapad not being an option, I vote Notepad2. That's for "notepad replacement", not for "programmer's editor"!

djnrempel

I have used N++, Programmer's Notepad, Notepad2 and Metapad.

I've been using Metapad for over 10 years now, still can't find anything I like better for basic text editing. Notepad2 showed promise, having more features than Metapad, such as syntax highlighting, but it missed some things that I liked in Metapad and it didn't have all the features of N++ and Programmer's Notepad, which I use for coding.

So write now I have metapad copied over MS Notepad, and N++ as what I use for coding. I vacillate between N++ and PNP, for my purposes they are both about equal.

djnrempel

I swear by Crimson Editor. Got it, fell in love and never turned back.

LissaKay

Another vote for GVim on Windows :)
Didn't like "cream", though.

Mandar Vaze

@OnipSemaj: TextPad allows you to define your own syntax files as well, quite easily. It alos lets you define classes of files (based on extension) and apply different handling rules to them, like tab distance, word wrap, auto-indent and custom spellcheck options.

palmerkun

RelativeRon

"Notepad replacement" and "favourite text editor" are two different categories. Replacing the files %WINDIR%\NOTEPAD.EXE and %WINDIR%\system32\NOTEPAD.EXE means a single exe like Metapad, you can replace its ugly purple icons with Resource Hacker, or use Notepad2. I use the multi-line find-and-replace of Metapad all the time, plus it suppports drag-and-drop from anywhere really well.

drwtsn32

pkopco

I use Vedit for huge text files, otherwise notepad is ok for most stuff. This thing handles mammoth size text files, really the main reason to use it.

Hello_Newman

Notepad2 is great but its RegEx engine is lacking. If only EditPad Pro was free. It has *everything* that I want, I just can't bear to part with my money.

Mythokia

Yet another vote for EditPad Lite. Its free, it just works. No bugs. Multiple windows. Unlimited file size.

CyberRanger

I like Notepad++ because it doesn't require replacing the original notepad (I don't like playing with the registry so I just pinned it to my start menu) and it's very simple to use.

rabiddachshund

NoteTab Light has worked just fine for me for the last 8 years. [www.notetab.com]

cst

I'll add another vote for UltraEdit

ghelm999

I use gedit when I'm on Ubuntu, and Notepad++ when on windows.

IanOliver

Notepad++ is a bit heavyweight for a simple notepad alternative. I'm using Notepad2 and I'm happy with it, syntax coloring and vertical blocks for life :).

Dagenham

Scite is the only editor (aside Eclipse :) ) on my PC. It is very customizable and powerfull

civascu

Schanul

Started with Notepad++ but then went over to PSPad both installed and on stick just in case

Rastislav Stana

Notepad++ for me. There are some things in n++ I haven't seen in any other editor before:
- Mark all (Great feature, instantly highlight the currently selected phrase in te whole document. Try it: Ctrl-M)
- Incremental search (Like find-as-you-type). I rarely use it, though. (Ctrl-Alt-I).
- On the fly syntax highlighting. No editing of syntax-files. Just specify your current needs. (View->User Define Dialog...; just make sure your current language is set to User Defined (Language->User Defined)

Other nice features are found in the plugins. There are some that fit my need quite well (split lines at clipboard character, delete blank lines, compare documents (you can lock vertical scrolling as well).

Only thing with notepad++ is that it doesn't handle large files as well as Textpad (The logs I view with n++ are 40Mb in size. I don't want to have more than one open at a time on a Centrino Duo @2,16Ghz with 2Gb of RAM).

muffinimal

I'm all about SCiTE. N++ and COnTEXT are also both quite useful.

xjohnx

NoteTab Pro : heavily caffeinated Notepad.

zapper

prefer editpad lite...
unlimted tabs/undo , the works...

shafilxt

Sooo much love for such an ugly bunch of basic apps. The world is so much more depressing on Windows. Someone should get inspired by the pretty Mac alternatives like Smultron, Coda and even TextWrangler.

nordtomme

I use Textmate, its great

Toby Wilkins

I just installed that "Consolas" font, but my god, that stuff is horrible. I'll stick to my Lucida Console font, thank you very much. (Not monospaced, though.)

Protector one

jusipi

PSPad for me, mainly because I often need to deal with very large files but I've grown attached to the interface as well - it just has a nice feel to it.

PWN

Notepad ++, all the way! Thanks to Lifehacker, I'm using this fabulous piece of code, where I was able to create an Oracle/JDEdwards highlighting template to read code! Ultra-cool!

alex_herrero

maximillianx

E Text Editor. Hands down.

Woodwater

GVim and ConTEXT
I don't care what people wanna say, I haven't found any editor as simplistic and yet extensibly powerful as Vi. I don't like interface clutter in a text editor and that forms a major reason.
The handicap however is that it can't edit REBOL files; so I use conTEXT editor for that..

Leafy

SciTE
I've tried loads of replacements, and finally came down to SciTE.

sheepd