Thread

The advantage of a touch pad right under the keys.

the pain of a flat keyboard 😛 (i have a natural 4000 cause of wrist pain =\)

@jTaby - Reaching for a mouse seems much easier and more natural than learning a tonne of obscure key-commands IMHO.

for windows,

Notepad++

The latest version comes bundled with an auto-ftp-save plugin. It’s also very fast. Features include a function panel, file/explorer panel, code snippets etc. Better than any I’ve tried so far for my needs.

For those interested, Cream is an easy way to get started with VIM. I’m looking at it right now. There are some interesting vids on youtube that can give you an idea of VIMs power. To me, it looks kind of ugly.

I personally like Zend Studio. I got a hold of it a couple years ago and haven’t looked back. There is something about its UI that I really like and it causes me to not like other applications UI. Dreamweaver 8/CS3 is pretty good when I don’t have access to ZS.

Been using Dreamweaver for a while (I loved the collapsible code for functions etc) - but again when Adobe ate up Macromedia - it just wasn’t the same.  I found that 100% but to be only but one thing I found rough.

PSPad was my next best friend. Tried a bunch of other editors - I wanted the same features I had back with Dreamweave (mainly FTP).  Eclipse is HUGE imho - so I ditched that quick (shouldn’t take more than 2 seconds to load a “text” editor).  Programmers pad was nice - but then I found a new best friend;

NotePad++ - has to be my favourite out of the lot - and it’s free (always makes you smile when you find quality free products better than paid software).

Notepad++ is a great little editor, but Aptana (being eclipse based) has two features that I haven’t found in Notepad++:
1) automatic method/class commenting
2) automatic tab on the first line of methods/conditionals/loops.

I used notepad++ on my Windows system for a long time… before that any number of text editors with syntax highlighting like phpedit, textpad, etc…

I managed to get a license for Zend Studio here a while back and I swear I will never go back.. Unless the Eclipse/Zend combo ends up being the end all be all I will stick with ZS.

Notepad++ is a great little editor, but Aptana (being eclipse based) has two features that I haven’t found in Notepad++:
1) automatic method/class commenting
2) automatic tab on the first line of methods/conditionals/loops.

That’s one thing I liked about NotePad++

Every other editor I’ve used has some form of automation (even PSPad does), either auto tabbing, auto bracket/quote complete, function-name complete etc.

The only time I like auto tabbing is when coming down from a line that is tabbed, yes please tab me in to match it up.

I just simply hate most automation.  Call me old fashioned, but I like the old typewriters where the only automation was the “ding” when you reached the end of the line….

Sometimes I dream of getting a mac.
Then I would grow a goatee, use textmate and sip latte all the time 😉

Until then it is
- Eclipse with aptana, radrails, svn
- Notepad++ for small stuff

plus Xampp, Tail for Win32, Filezilla, Putty - and Firebug I also would miss…

Although I do most of my stuff in Eclipse (which can be nice with RoR or Java) it is more of a love/hate relationship. So every once in a while I get minimalistic and just use notepad++.

Sometimes I dream of getting a mac.
Then I would grow a goatee, use textmate and sip latte all the time 😉

Good one! 😊

BTW, why Aptana dirkr? I use Eclipse with PDT+JSEclipse and love them both. I installed Aptana once, but it seemed pretty much useless. Is there some good tutorial for it? Or did it get improved a whole lot since last summer?

I didn’t like Aptana either.  Though Eclipse in general can be highly customized, Aptana just seemed to have too much fluff.  I don’t mind Eclipse though it is not a great IDE.  I just like that I can open a certain folder as a project and have all my resources right there to edit.  I can’t do that with Textpad or E-Text editor (not that I know of.)  I can do that with J-edit though, and the full folder code search that J-edit has is a really cool feature.  The problem with all Java editors is they are slowish and quirky.  However, E-text editor and Notepad++ are also quirky. 

I just don’t think a good Windows editor exists.

I just don’t think a good Windows editor exists.

Err - did you try Notepad.exe?
😉 scnr

But seriously: can’t exist. Different sets of requirements - different editors.
Notepad++ (emphasis on ++) works fine for most of my needs, as did UEdit for a while. In the end it’s a matter of taste and of using the right tool for the right task. And for that - who has never used a screwdriver to put a nail into the wall?

And for that - who has never used a screwdriver to put a nail into the wall?

I tried it once with my hands in thick mittens aka word 😛

BTW, why Aptana dirkr?

I use the aptana editors for css and js - not for php cause I like the PHP Tools folding feature.
With eclipse I don’t dare to uninstall plugins…