Text/Programmers Editors edit text, which is also how source code is written by programmers. A simple text editor such as Notepad can be used to write source code, but Notepad contains no special features to make the programmer's job easier or more productive. When a text editor is written with such special features, as most are, the text editors are then called programmers editors.

As part of this review, all text editors are listed together but I provide separate review results for simple text editors and for programmers editors.

I've also captured lists of other editor types, including non-programmers editors, web site editors, collaborative editors, Linux/Unix editors, and language-specific IDEs,

Programmers Editor Review Results
This review is in work. Until the review is complete, I suggest the following application for your programmers editor needs:

• UltraEdit
  This text editor is used by over 2,000,000 programmers worldwide. It's a feature-rich, award-winning, and very mature product.

  UltraEdit sells for $50

If you're holding out for a freeware code editor then I suggest either of the following:

• PSPad
  
• Crimson Editor
  

Text Editor Review Results
This review is in work. Until the review is complete, I suggest the following application for your text editing needs.

• NoteTAB
  NoteTAB is a feature-rich, award-winning, and very mature text editor. It works on multiple documents at one time, has multi-level undo/redo, supports HTML syntax highlighting, and supports regular expression search & replace.

  NoteTAB Pro sells for $30.

  I use NoteTAB Pro for all of the web pages on my site - which now comprises almost 20,000 files.

If you're holding out for a freeware text editor then I suggest the following:

• NoteTAB Light
  

Programmers Editor Features
These are the minimum features that I expect from a programmers editor. Each of the candidate programs will be ranked against how well they implement these features. As the review continues, the list of features may change.

1. Support for multiple languages
2. Source code distributed with product
3. Revision repository
4. Built-in editor with syntax highlighting

Text Editor Features
These are the minimum features that I expect from a text editor. Each of the candidate programs will be ranked against how well they implement these features. As the review continues, the list of features may change.

1. Open multiple files
2. Cross-file search and replace
3. Large file support

Candidate Programs
This review covers over 150 text/programmers editors, including the following programs.

Freeware Text/Programmers Editors

Alphatk Angel Writer Araneae BackEdit BDV Notepad ConTEXT CopyWriter CREdit Crimson Editor Cross-Browser RTE CUTE Delphad DocPad DomiNOTE EDT Editor2 EditPad Lite EDXOR Elvis Emacs evolvED Text Editor Extreme Editor ExtremePad FCKeditor FTE GetDiz GLeDitor HAPedit Haxial TextEdit HTML-Kit

JED jEdit Jext JOE Kudaz LedLineIt! MadEdit MAX's HTML Beauty MDINotepad metapad NEdit Notepad and 1/2 Notepad SX Notepad+ Notepad++ Notepad2 Netpadd NotepadEx NotepadXP NoteTab Light nPad2 PFE PNotepad Programmers Notepad PSPad

q10 Quick Editor QuickEdit QuickNote RexEdit RJ TextEd roPEdit SciTE Shalom Txt subpad SuperEdi syn TED Notepad TextWrangler The Hessling Editor vile VIM Win32Pad WinSyntax X2 Xint Zion Edit

And here are the commercial text/programmers editors.

Another Notepad $12 Boxer $60 Code Visual Editor $180 CRiSP $250 DANA $30 E $35 ED for Windows $169 Editeur $28 Editor.Net $249 EditPad Pro $ EditPlus $30 EmEditor Pro $40 Epsilon $250 FoldMaster $84 GridinSoft Notepad $35

GWD $29 HippoEDIT $30 HTML-Kit $65 Insight $125 LargeEdit $25 MED $30 Multi-Edit 2006 $199 NoteTAB Pro $30 PadPlus $ $20 Power Edit $25 PrEditor $35

Rainbow Editor $20 SlickEdit $284 Source Insight $249 Text Hawk $28 TextPad $30 TSE Pro $99 Twistpad $20 txtPro $30 UltraEdit $50 Ulysses $112 VEdit $79 Web Notepad $15 WinEdt $70 WinEdit $70 Zeus $50

Text-Only Editors (non-programmers editors)
Almost all of the editors listed above include special features, such as syntax highlighting, to help programmers write code. The following text editors contain no such features.

As you can see, virtually all of the text-only editors are freeware. I located only one commercial text-only editor. There are many commercial text editors, of course, but the authors typically incorporate features which put the product in the programmers editor category.

Freeware	Commercial
BDV Notepad CopyWriter DocPad EDXOR GetDiz MDINotepad metapad Notepad and 1/2 Notepad SX q10 Shalom Txt TED Notepad	Another Notepad $12 TextPad $17

WebSite Editors
The following editors, not listed above, provide special support for web site construction. This may include HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and other web page editing features. Features beyond simple HTML syntax highlighting are needed to be on this list.

This may be the most subjective list on this page, so if you have any suggestions/recommendations please feel free to let me know.

Freeware	Commercial
1st Page 2000 Angel Writer Arachnophilia HTML-Kit Roden Web Editor Web Dwarf $	AceHTML Adobe GoLive Alleycode ColdFusion Cool Page Coffee Cup HTML Editor Composer CuteHTML DavPage Dynamic HTML Editor Dreamweaver Easy HHK Ewisoft Web Builder FrontPage Fusion GoLive	HomeSite HotDog Professional HTML Builder HTML Editor Macromedia Dream Weaver Microsoft Frontpage NetObjects Fusion NVU PageBreeze Free HTML Editor PageEffects 400 Freeware Web Graphics PageMill SiteGen SE TopStyle $80 WebPlus

Collaborative Editors
The following editors, not listed above, provide specific support for editing of file by multiple users via a LAN or across the internet.

Freeware	Commercial
Concurrence Gobby MoonEdit Network Text Editor (NTE)	SubEthaEdit $35

Linux/Unix Editors
These editors, not listed above, are for use in Linux/Unix environements.

CE kpad LE nano Pico Ted Beaver

Bluefish gedit Kate Kile KWrite Leafpad nano

Pico Qedit $?? TeXnicCenter VIM xedit Yudit StrongED (for RISC)

Language-Specific IDEs
The following editors, not listed above, provide specific support for editing of a particular language, acting as an IDE for that language.

Freeware	Commercial
Komodo JPad Perl Code Editor	Perl Code Editor DZSoft Perl Editor Optiperl Perl Builder $199 Sannysoft Perl Editor $45 visiPerl+ $59 Visual Perl

Notes
In reviewing editors, I ran across several observations/notes which I've documented in case questions arise in these areas.

1. ACME text editor is part of Plan 9 distribution
2. AlfaPad is a notes organizer http://www.alfaalfa.com/
3. BBEdit is for the Mac http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/index.shtml
4. Borland SynEdit component
5. Borland synedit component
6. CPad (Zantii) is no longer available.
7. CodeWright has been discontinued
8. CopyWrite is for the Mac
9. Eddie is a Mac editor
10. Elvis is a superset of VI
11. FarisNT web site is down http://www.farisnt.com/
12. Figlet is an Ascii banner maker
13. Gigas editor not available http://www.llanas.net/
14. Jarte is a word processor, similar to WordPad
15. JavE is an Ascii Editor (for drawing pictures)
16. JOE site is down http://sourceforge.net/projects/joe-editor/
17. Keynote is a notes organizer http://www.tranglos.com/free/keynote.html
18. IntelliEdit is an rich text editor http://www.flashpeak.com/inted/inted.htm
19. NoteKeeper is a notes organizer
20. Notespad website is down http://www.newbie.net/NotesPad/notespad_32.html
21. PEdit is a DOS editor http://home.earthlink.net/~pedit/index.html
22. RPad32 is freeware, but the site is not in English so info is limited
23. Sam editor is part of Plan 9 distribution (Win32 version is available)
24. Scintilla editor component
25. Scratch is not an editor, but a note taking tool
26. SEDT is a Unix editor
27. skEdit is for the Mac
28. Smultron is a Mac OS text editor
29. StrongEd is a RISC OS editor http://stronged.iconbar.com/
30. Tex-Edit Plus is for the Mac
31. Textmate is for the Mac
32. WhizNote is a notes organizer
33. WinPEdit is a DOS window with PEdit in it http://www.goldshell.com/winpedit/main.htm
34. ZuluPad is not an editor, but a note taking tool http://www.gersic.com/zulupad/

Other Editor Sites

1. TextEditors.org
2. dmoz.org
3. freearefiles.com - Programming Editors
4. freearefiles.com - HTML Editors
5. Google - Editors

User Feedback & Suggestions
I welcome any suggestions on other source code editor programs that should be considered, or suggestions on how better to review the selected programs.