John's Blog: My Favorite Text Editor
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My Favorite Text Editor
This is a blatant ad for UltraEdit, one of the best (English) text and code editors in the world. This comes as close as I've seen to a one-size-fits-all editor for many different (computer) languages. I figure why learn a half-dozen different IDE's when you can use the same familiar editor for all of them? Plus, some IDE's which are written specially for a particular language cover up too many details, or clutter up your directory with temporary or configuration files. Ultraedit is like Notepad on steroids -- no hidden details, just the text, but with plenty of cool features:
- Standard Windows MDI interface
- Syntax-highlighting, auto-identing, and procedure list; customizable for any language
- Extensive column-mode editing
- Hex ASCII display mode, including search and replace
- Search and replace in files
- Macro record and playback, with save and reload capability
- Integrated FTP, to bring remote files into an editing window and save them back
- Run DOS commands and save results to a window
- Lots of automated conversions: DOS/Unix, CRLF/wrap, lower/upper/title case
These are just the ones I am familiar with. It also has project file capability and a lot of other things.
Now, I know there are a lot of other geek types who swear by emacs, or even (shudder) vi, and that's fine. I recognize that emacs, backed up by a complete programming language, is more customizable than UltraEdit could ever be. But I don't really need all that functionality (that I've been convinced of so far), and the learning curve, to me, is steeper. Emacs might be a "better" editor in terms of versatility, but UltraEdit is more accessible. I see it as the difference between modern academic "classical" music and jazz. Both quality, and the former often backed up with more official credentials, but the latter is often more accessible to the general public.
This essay was written in UltraEdit, on a Dvorak keyboard.
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