NotepadNext – a cross-platform reimplementation of Notepad++

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall Reaction

  • Many commenters are enthusiastic: Notepad++ is one of the most-missed Windows apps on Linux/macOS, so a native cross‑platform clone is welcome.
  • Others are nostalgic but say they’ve moved on to VS Code, Sublime Text, Vim/Neovim, Emacs, JetBrains IDEs, or note‑taking tools and don’t expect to switch back.

Why People Care About Notepad‑Style Editors

  • Seen as “a better Notepad”: instant startup, very low overhead, and strong text‑editing tools (regex search/replace, macros, column editing, handling huge log files).
  • Favored for quick scratch notes, ad‑hoc data munging, config edits, and viewing large files, not as a full IDE.
  • Some describe extensive production use on Windows desktops and servers; others say its importance is mostly historical.

Implementation & Performance

  • Appreciated that it’s native C++/Qt, not Electron; some joking about “why not Rust” but consensus is that Rust GUI tooling is still immature and Qt’s first‑class API is C++.
  • Uses Scintilla as the editor component, like Notepad++, SciTE, Geany, etc.
  • Multiple reports that startup is extremely fast and large files load and scroll smoothly, sometimes perceived as faster than Sublime and comparable to BBEdit.
  • Some debate over Qt being “bloated” in size/complexity vs. being performant and mature in practice.

UI/UX Debates

  • Strong split over the classic toolbar‑heavy UI: some find “millions of tiny buttons” ugly and distracting; others value discoverability, nostalgia, and quick access.
  • Notepad++‑style UI is customizable; toolbars and status bars can be hidden for a minimalist look.
  • GTK apps are criticized as visually bloated compared to lean Windows/Qt toolbars.
  • macOS note: disabling system‑wide font smoothing to mimic Windows text rendering is controversial.

Features & Gaps

  • Autosave/“hot exit” (unsaved buffers restored without prompts) is considered a killer feature; NotepadNext has autosave but it’s off by default.
  • Some users won’t switch yet because “many features are not implemented” and there is no compatibility with existing Notepad++ plugins.
  • Requests include diff tools, vim mode, and robust session handling.

Relation to Other Editors

  • Comparisons to Kate, Geany, Notepadqq, CudaText, SciTE, TextAdept, ecode, Zed, Sublime, VS Code, Vim/Emacs, etc.
  • Some argue Geany/Kate already fill this niche; others report bugs or UX/style dislikes and see room for NotepadNext as a better cross‑platform Notepad++‑like option.