Recommendation for editors

Question

I like Notepad++ under Windows. I was wondering if there are some similar ones for Ubuntu? Or just the powerful and convenient one in your opinion.

ADDED:

Features that I like are:

• syntax highlighting for language X
• theme support
• line numbering
• code folding
• regex style
• Powerful, yet not resource-consuming

Answer 1

I would think gedit would be perfect. It is on Ubuntu by default, is easy to use, and can be extended with plugins.

That being said, since notepad++ is based on scintilla, scite is probably worth checking out. Scite is based on scintilla as well, though as fred.bear points out, it might be less feature-rich than you need.

Here are a couple more:

jEdit

jedit - A plugin-based editor for programmers

jEdit is a powerful open source editor [...] unlimited undos/redos, syntax highlighting for more than 130 file formats, markers for fast and easy navigation, online help, bracket matching for programming languages as well as auto-indent. Plugins can be downloaded and installed from within jEdit using the "plugin manager" feature.

vim / gvim / cream

gvim or cream - VI IMproved, with optional VIM macros that make the VIM easier to use for beginners

Answer 2

Without GUI or with a simplified GUI (still needs to be run in terminal):

• vi

• vim

• nano

• ed

• pico

• emacs

• xemacs

With GUI:

• geany

• mousepad (default under Xfce)

• kate

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Please note that some of these programs may not be available from Ubuntu's official repositories.

Answer 3

Try Bluefish, Geany, or even installing Notepad++ trough Wine if you want.
More on installing Wine on Ubuntu and one example of installing some application using Wine.

Answer 4

I'm an ex Notepad++ devotee!!!! ... It's was hard making the shift to "nowhwere land" after knowing exactly how to do things in Npp .... but I've gradually discovered that with the right plugins and a few personal scripts which you can easily add via the External Tools plugin, that gedit is the easiest and best transitional editor for hard-core ex- Npp users ... I feel your pain ;) ... After 4 months of Linux .. I'm starting to get a good feel of things, and I'm branching out to GNU emacs because it leaves Npp standing still (really Npp's regex sucks!) ... I've tried gvim and it seems very good too, but a few things aboout emacs gel better with me... gedit with plugins is quite good choice once you get to realize that this Ubuntu thing is a whole new world... so you need a matching editor... I've got Npp installed in wine for a sense of security, but I virtually never use it anymore, because gedit is basically just as good... and GNU emacs and Gvim are better (but they have a big learning curve)... go for gedit. .. by the way. I've tried many other of the Linux editors, and it is the closest to Npp I've found.. once you've added the plugins..

You may be interested in running Notepad++ in wine (I was)... so here are some notes I've put together about the bugs I've found using Notepad++ in wine...

• notepad++ - Wine-BUGS - Ubuntu.10.04

Answer 5

I've been using the Sublime Text 2 alpha on Ubuntu and enjoy it a lot. It's nice to have the same editor across multiple OS's

http://www.sublimetext.com/blog/articles/sublime-text-2-public-alpha

Answer 6

I love geany for its simplicity and plugins

sudo apt-get install geany geany-plugins

Answer 7

I prefer Komodo.

Answer 8

I love gEdit. Is not nearly as powerful as NotePad++, but its ultra-lightweight, and the default text editor in Ubuntu (or any other Gnome distro). It has a huge list of templates for syntax coloring. And be sure to download its gedit-plugins companion, it shines even more.

Also, you might consider geany. It's meant to be a more than just a text editor, it's actually a multi-language IDE. But since it's so simple, easy-to-use one, and lightweight, it could be considered a good editor alternative. And its in the official repos.

I would say that NotePad++ (I used it for years in my former job) would stand between geany and gedit, in terms of features. So I gave you a "little less than" and "a little more than". Pick any ;)

Answer 9

I didn't see gui or cli specified, so I'll throw out a few.

There is a rather steep learning curve, but learning the basics of emacs/vim is useful. Chances are you will have to use them at some point.

I like Netbeans for java, but it will do php/python/c/c++/etc. Eclipse will do as well.

Answer 10

You can use KDE's Kate, it is very powerful (search for it in ubuntu software manager). Also if you want to pay for powerful text/html/programming editor, you can use UltraEdit LX. It has more features than Kate.

Answer 11

No one mentioned the leafpad. The more I use it, The more I like it. Though, It has not that many features, but it is extremely resource-saver.

Installation from terminal: sudo apt-get install leafpad.

Installation from Ubuntu software center: Clicking this will do the job

Answer 12

Notepad++ is arguably the best editor for Windows. Now you can install it in Ubuntu via Wine:
Install Notepad++ in Ubuntu 12.04

Answer 13

I use Kate, because i like the following feature of it:

• Very handy quick search (exactly like Firefox)
• Code completion (using exciting code in current document)
• Snippets
• Integrate easily with terminal and file manager
• Installable on Mac and Windows
• Code highlighting
• ...