Best Programming Text Editor (Poll)

[williamwu2k12]

Hi,

I'm new to programming and was looking for a good programming text editor to suit my needs. I am currently working with Notepad++. I currently know Python and C++, but will soon learn Javascript, and in the future, will expand to C and Java.

I've compiled (haha pun) a list of requirements below:

- recognition of language being written (different colors for text)
- line number at the left hand side
- build/compile and run for multiple languages
- attractive interface (important)
- small size and not cpu-hungry (not as important)

I've done some research and found that potential top choices are: Notepad++, vim (appearance is terrible though), Sublime Text, and Eclipse. As I have only had experience with the first two, could you guys please answer the poll and/or give suggestions as to how I can improve my coding experience (ex. should I look into customizing Notepad++ more, etc.)?

Thank you,

William

 

[randomizer]

Eclipse is an IDE, not a text editor. Text editors are used for exactly that and usually little else. An IDE bundles many development tools (editor, compiler, debugger, etc) in a single package, but is a much more heavyweight application. Memory usage is usually much higher for an IDE, although CPU usage usually won't be significant. If you want an integrated debugger, code completion, support from most common languages and all the other bells and whistles, Eclipse (or its "rival" Netbeans) could be what you're looking for.

I have not use Sublime, but as I understand it it fits somewhere between the two, being more than a bare bones editor but not quite a fully fledged IDE. It might suit your needs well.

Vim is a bit special. It might look ugly but many devs swear by it. In fact the editor it was derived from is involved in an ongoing holy war. There's a learning curve before getting the most out of Vim due to the innumerable keyboard shortcuts, but you said that you already have experience with it so this probable won't be an issue.

Just about anything will be fine for JavaScript so you could probably stick with Notepad++ for the time being. Once you move to C and Java you might want to reconsider your tools.