Best Free Text Editor For All Popular Languages (R, Python, Perl Etc..)
21
6
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
John ★ 1.5k

I am using tinn-R (R editor) and notepad++ as general text editors. I wonder if there is a better text editor for free, that is multi-purpose. I have heard about UltraEdit but need to buy it. Wikipedia has extensive list with comparision but I do not know what is good and what is bad. I need to use both Windows and Linux. .....

text r perl python • 25k views
ADD COMMENT
23
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Burlappsack ▴ 690

I have been getting great mileage with vi, covering all my text writing and a good deal of reading as well. It's available on almost all Unix/Linux machines, and I'm sure there is a port to Cygwin out there.

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

+1 for vi......

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

+1 for vi(m), even if I normally use a different editor, learning some basics in vi is essential, because it is often the only available editor if you are logged in to a server's console, and requires text mode only.

ADD REPLY
20
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago

for all my text needs: emacs, textwrangler

ADD COMMENT
5
Entering edit mode

emacs for me: +1.

ADD REPLY
2
Entering edit mode

+1 for emacs, especially the R-integration is very good. I am using AquaEmacs, everything works out-of-the-box.

ADD REPLY
1
Entering edit mode

+1 for emacs...

ADD REPLY
1
Entering edit mode

Sad that this is how I earned the "nice answer badge"... oh well :-). I haven't used Aquamacs. I will have to check it out.

ADD REPLY
1
Entering edit mode

it's called Aquamacs btw...

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

GNU emacs - It is what I use on the servers. I don't really use Aquamacs although I do have it on my laptop.

ADD REPLY
11
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago

I use RStudio Server for anything and everything in R. The web app is amazingly seamless, just as performant as a desktop app. It also keeps your session alive so when you get home it is like you never left work.

It is a shame there is nothing similar for general text editing.

ADD COMMENT
2
Entering edit mode

"when you get home it is like you never left work"... Is it really a good point? I'm just kidding... ;-)

ADD REPLY
1
Entering edit mode

Rstudio standalone versions works great as well!

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

for general editing I have been using Cloud9 https://c9.io, which is definitely not free if you need privacy but is definitely worth every penny

ADD REPLY
10
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Chris Khoo ▴ 190

Sublime Text is a pretty good one as well - http://www.sublimetext.com/

ADD COMMENT
1
Entering edit mode

+1 for sublime text. Not only it is awesome but it is implemented in python, highly dynamic and really customizable.

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

Why does it matter what language it's implemented in?

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

Oh sorry, somehow I missed the point before expressing it. I forgot to say it. An advantage of it being implemented in python is that any customization you add gets active on the fly, for instance, you can implement snippets and incorporate them to the software (even add options to the GUI) in execution time, without even restarting the editor. This could have been done with other languages, but certainly not with all of them (at least not easily), so for this reason I consider it an advantage. The fact that these snippets and add-ons can also be implemented in python is an advantage for me, although probably this one is a very subjective advantage.

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

Sublime is the most I used, really usefull and friendly

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

Yep...sublime text is the one! Keep in your mind these words "Multiple Selects"!

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

Liked it!! Cool.

ADD REPLY
4
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Michael 55k

I am using Eclipse IDE solely for Java, where it really shines, by providing auto-comepletion (makes you a lazy programmer), auto correction (makes you even more lazy) on the fly documentation browsing, subversion integration, code generation for web-services, and another gazillion of features and plug-ins I haven't even found yet. Other IDEs like NetBeans will most likely be as good or even better. Eclipse is a heavyweight (memory, slow response), actually for most scripting tasks in bioinformatics it is way oversized.

If I wanted to use it for a quick perl script, I'd have that script finished and debugged in emacs while eclipse wouldn't even have completed loading yet. Also, while plugins for perl and R exist, they do not provide the same richness of auto-(write my code for me) features as the Java environment. As a consequence, I use emacs for Perl and R. Especially the R-integration in emacs is very solid. Also, if you are new to Java or programming I would abstain from any IDE, because IDEs hinder the process of really learning a language IMO. It is like trying to learn a new language by using google translate.

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode

+1 For the review of Eclipse. I use Emacs (or Aquamacs) for writing Perl scripts, but for larger programs or modules the EPIC - Eclipse integration really shines. It helps you keep track of all variable and subroutine names, takes care of formatting how you like automatically, and gives you warnings without having to execute the program. http://www.epic-ide.org/

ADD REPLY
3
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Gustavo ▴ 530

http://www.jedit.org/ is excellent.

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode

looks great - I was looking for free software with Folding option ..

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

My favorite jEdit feature is that you can select a part of the document on both directions, e.g. a column of few characters wide, over multiple lines. This very conveniently combines with doing replacements.

ADD REPLY
0
Entering edit mode

+1 My Favorite. But plugins are a must have!

ADD REPLY
3
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Geparada ★ 1.5k

I'm using Geany. It's a small and fast IDE and I really like it!

ADD COMMENT
1
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Dan D 7.4k

There's the StatET plugin for Eclipse:

http://navisan.com/Articles/EclipseRHTML.aspx

^ The link is a bit of a year 1999 flashback, but the information within is useful

EDIT: Here's a link to the StatET page:

http://www.walware.de/goto/statet

ADD COMMENT
1
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Casual ▴ 90

Vim is good enough for ya~

ADD COMMENT
1
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Peter Kovac ▴ 70

PSPad is very good freeware editor for Windows. It has an extension for R, as well as syntax highlighting for many languages with highlighted export to RTF and HTML, macros, and an integrated FTP client.

And for the Linux: Gnome based distros usually go with gedit included. gedit has many standard text-editor features and there is a package called gedit-r-plugin which integrates R console into gedit. However, more general and IMHO more powerful option is integrated terminal.

ADD COMMENT
1
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Madhan ▴ 250

For windows, i am using Textpad which is very good. It has a trial version which 'll working for years ;).

And for unix based system, TextWrangler would be my choice.

ADD COMMENT
1
Entering edit mode
10.5 years ago
Dan D 7.4k

Notepad++ forever and ever. It's theme-able, allows you to view whitespace and control characters, has code highlighting for most languages, it has Sublime's column select feature, it allows you to view documents side-by-side in the same window...I could go on and on...

If you're a windows user it's a necessity.

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
raunakms ★ 1.1k

I've been using GNU nano text editor for these purpose.

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago
Mick ▴ 30

For R it has to be Tinn-R

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
12.6 years ago

In windows I'd recommend Crimson Editor; which can be used as a regular notepad, and comes with multiple language support (see 'syntax file folders'). Works fine for me with R, Perl, matlab and HTML codes.

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
10.5 years ago
stas • 0

I like Codelobster

It works best for all languages of web development

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
10.5 years ago
jackuser1979 ▴ 890

I use vim on linux and gvim on windows. gvim on windows very good utility to open large file data (like NGS).

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
10.5 years ago
paulr ▴ 80

I've enjoyed PyCharm -- has plug-in support for additional languages.

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
10.5 years ago

i already use this excellent tool free and sample http://www.jedit.org/

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
7.1 years ago
stas • 0

I enjoy Codelobster

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode
7.1 years ago

MICROSOFT OFFICE WORD XD

ADD COMMENT
0
Entering edit mode

I suppose you forgot the /s tag.

ADD REPLY

Login before adding your answer.

Traffic: 1750 users visited in the last hour
Help About
FAQ
Access RSS
API
Stats

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

Powered by the version 2.3.6