Comment by MBCook
8 days ago
Why? I get it’s popular on Windows. But it’s so incredibly Windows-y, not Mac like at all. And we already have BBEdit and Nova.
Perhaps the site answers past “you like it here it is”, but at the moment we appear to have slashdotted them.
Don't forget TextMate, CotEditor, Chocolat. There are so many mac-native text editors that it's a crowded space for a new entrant sporting a distinctively un-mac-like UX.
Smultron is a good one that I’ve been using for over a decade alongside BBEdit. The developer offers versions for 10.10 Yosemite and newer.
https://www.peterborgapps.com/smultron/
New switcher on his brand new MacBook Neo who doesn't want to learn Mac apps and conventions? Guaranteed this person uses a Windows "Alt-tab" style switcher app too.
It sounds like you think this is a bad thing.
The tab switching is one of the main things that annoy me on a mac, and I'd describe myself as a linux tiling window person first, windows user only second.
Also my mac usage is hopefully only temporary, so why adopt to this - to me - inferior way.
And jftr, I don't plan to use this - I kinda like NPP, but I prefer to use TextAdept on Linux and Mac for notes anyway (and not vim, which is weird, but I guess I am weird with my choices).
Can confirm, friend who moved to Mac after 30+ years on Win ecosystem and all of the discussions we have are basically "but on Windows..." They specifically have lamented the unavailability of Notepad++ because of a specific hanging indent behavior they are used to.
Most people do not have the cognitive flexibility to really adapt to a tool that is more or less domain equivalent but different in any way. These small differences create more friction than learning something that doesn't have any close mapping to what you knew before.
wants to use something familiar => does not have cognitive flexibility
It's amazing how people find ways to flaunt their 'superiority'.
Cuts both ways too. I am finding Windoews harder due to using the mac as daily driver. Haven't got the hang of finder yet. I use CLI as much as possible making use rare enough not to master.
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Granted I've only been using MacOS for a few years as my work machine, but am I missing something here? Is the Mac CMD+tab already not nearly identical to to windows alt+tab? Are you just referring to the switcher switching through apps vs windows?
Window previews when switching are also a nice thing when doing heavy multitasking.
There are a few things MacOS X inherited from classic MacOS that I don't think work that well in the modern world, and application-focused task switching is one of them. It made sense in the classic Mac context where many apps used floating windows for toolboxes and other non-document windows. You wanted to switch the whole application, with all of its windows, as a unit. It was also the right technical decision with classic MacOS's modest multitasking abilities.
But the world has since mostly standardised on SDI app design with tools contained within that window, and multiple windows representing different documents. In that context, the macOS app-then-window approach is more roundabout than pure window switching. You get used to it, but when you've got a lot of windows open, it's a small but ever-present drag on usability.
Alt-Tab is one of the first things I install on a new Mac. Hopefully one day Apple will give us a built-in option, much like they eventually did with window tiling and full-screen window zooming.
On Windows alt-tab moves through windows.
On Mac cmd-tab moves through applications. You need cmd-~ to move through an application’s windows.
It’s a small difference but one that really breaks muscle memory.
Why switch? Thats a huge part of the Mac. The design, UI, and UX conventions exist for a reason.
If you’re going to spend all your time fighting them you’re in for a rough spell.
Porting Windows apps that people like, helps MacBook sales, not hurt them. That certain people use their MacBook in a different way should not be a concern of other users, as at least they are using MacBooks.
It doesn’t have to be for everyone.
Lots of people use both operating systems, or stretched from one to the other.
Socrates is about choice, just because I might not see the understanding in something doesn’t mean there isn’t any understanding in it.
I use both operating systems. I hate using things that don’t follow platform standards. It makes them more confusing and causes extra cognitive load.
I simply see no benefit of a copy of very Windows-y app. It’s pure MDI with buttons in a toolbar. It’s a perfect example of a 3.1/95 style app.
It’s not like it has special features missing from the great many editors on Mac. If you want a “same everywhere” experience I’d think you’d want something that sort of lives in its own world like VSCode. It’s not native style anywhere, exactly. But it’s very powerful and popular.
In many cases I get “I want the app I like over here”. I really do. Especially if there is something really special about its design or feature set. In my experience with Notepad++, I have never wished to have it on my Mac once.
>I simply see no benefit of a copy of very Windows-y app.
That's cool, sounds like it's not for you then.
There are plenty of people who would appreciate it though.
I've been using N++ for a long time. I have tried just about every editor out there and I always end up back in N++.
It's old. It is missing a lot of the bells and whistles of newer editors, but I'm still most productive in old faithful :)
Do you see that other people might no share your view and instead find this useful?
Why do anything?
First I've heard of Nova. I have used Transmit--also made by Panic--and was impressed with the UX there. I'll have to give Nova a spin.
Notepad++ has incredibly easy to use macros with the record/play buttons in the toolbar. It is my preferred tool for quickly munging text files especially ones where you want to change formatting through the file.
Yeah this feels similar to PowerShell on Linux.
Is it possible? Sure.
Does it make sense? Not really.
script for ci pipelines beg to differ
What are the advantages of pwsh for this use case?
Note how noone clones bbedit for other oses.
Can't escape the macOS event horizon.
It's FREEEEEE!