There are many text editors for Linux, but none of them fit all the features you might want! There is also a diversity of choices for programming languages that exist. It’s an uphill battle to find one that will satisfy your needs.
There are various opinions on which editor is best, but they might not match up with your exact preferences. The purpose of this guide is to give you an idea of what each one is like and how it can help boost your productivity if you use Linux as well as code in multiple languages.
Komodo Edit (Or IDE)
The idea behind Komodo Edit is to offer something powerful, yet with a certain level of simplicity, so that even beginners should be able to grasp it. You can download Komodo Edit for Mac or Windows operating systems. It’s free and open source, allowing those who don’t need all the advanced features a text editor that gets smaller projects done.
Also, if you require more advanced tools like code profiling or unit testing, the Komodo IDE upgrade does the trick. Support for all languages and frameworks is provided through Komodo IDE, making it ideal for web development. Also, this upgrade doesn’t cost you anything since it’s also an open source project.
Komodo Editor text editor
However, I would recommend trying out Komodo Edit first to see if it has all of the tools you need for projects. After all, it’s a cleaner interface and lighter weight solution for keeping projects better organized. Komodo IDE has all of the features from Komodo Edit but then it adds on dozens more. For instance, both offer things like the multi-language editor, skin sets, and the ability to make multiple selections.
However, you would have to switch to the Komodo IDE text editor if you need print debugging, or if you’d like tutorials for learning about the system.
Which Features Make This One of the Best Text Editor Tools?
- Komodo Edit is one of the best text editor options since it offers two separate versions, one that’s great for light users and another that’s for the advanced power user.
- Both of the versions, including Komodo Edit and Komodo IDE, can be downloaded for free.
- The Komodo IDE version has real-time code collaboration tools for connecting with other developers on your team and sharing and editing files together.
- The interactive shells in Komodo IDE include Python, Ruby, and Perl.
- The Komodo IDE option also has plenty of integrations. Some of these are Gulp, Grunt, Yarn, and Vagrant.
- The live previewing in Komodo IDE ensures that you can render HTML visuals while adjusting your code.
- The Komodo Edit version has the ability to track changes and make multiple selections.
- Both versions have multi-language editors that include skin and icon sets.
When you think about it, Komodo makes solutions for everyone. Since Komodo Edit and Komodo IDE are both offered for free, less experienced and advanced users can take advantage of the text editor. So, if you’d like a lightweight version, or just something simpler, go with Komodo Edit. If you’re looking for more ambitious tools, the Komodo IDE text editor provides everything from print debugging to custom workspaces.
Visual Studio Code
As one of the younger players in the game (launched in 2015) Visual Studio Code puts forth quite an effort for building a stable community and ensuring that users are getting the features they need. The hard work definitely shows, since the plugin library has been growing quite a bit. It’s also an open source project that you can download directly to macOS, Windows, or Linux for free.
A few distinct areas make Visual Studio Code an appealing text editor for all developers. First of all, Visual Studio Code is often considered to be faster than older editors on the market. You can also clear out all of the clutter by opting for the Zen Mode, which removes all menus and items that don’t involve your editor.
Visual Studio Code text editor
We also enjoy the IntelliSense feature, which takes syntax highlighting and auto-completion to the next level–with the help of smart completions based on function definitions and other items like variable types. The Visual Studio Code editor has Git commands programmed into the system. This way, you’re able to pull or push from all hosted SCM services.
Finally, the Visual Studio Code website has numerous tabs for you to learn about the software. The documentation page walks you through steps like the setup and working with different languages. You’re also able to check out some tips and tricks and learn all of the Visual Studio Code keyboard shortcuts. Along with a blog, updates page, extensions library and API information, Visual Studio Code looks like a great choice.
Which Features Make This One of the Best Text Editor Tools?
- Visual Studio Code is a completely free text editor with open source access and a large collection of extensions to make some upgrades.
- The community is strong and the website includes plenty of documentation, a full blog, and lots of information in the form of API and FAQs page.
- It provides built-in Git commands.
- The IntelliSense feature does a wonderful job of upgrading the standard autocomplete and syntax highlighting features you would expect from most text editors. Essentially, it creates smart completions based on items like function definitions and variable types.
- You have the option to debug your code directly in the editor. Therefore, there is no reason for print statement debugging.
- This is a multiplatform text editor, with support for Linux, Mac, and Windows.
There are a few reasons you might consider Visual Studio Code for your text editing needs. The first is if you would like a free text editor that actually has a thriving community behind it. The second reason would be if you like the idea of extending and customizing your text editor in terms of language, theme, and debugger support. We also really like the IntelliSense feature, so it makes sense for people who are also intrigued by the smart completions.
Looking for a cool Visual Studio Code theme? Check out Shades of Purple, created and maintained by Ahmad Awais.
Brackets
The Brackets text editor comes from the folks at Adobe, in an attempt to offer a more modern, open source solution for developers creating websites. This is a free text editor, with some appealing visual tools for previewing your work and allowing for frontend developers to examine the changes. Writing code is the main focus in Brackets, and it’s done with the help of inline editors, live previews, and nicely organized files.
Because of its affiliation with Adobe, Brackets has somewhat of an integration with Photoshop, in that it can take pieces of your PSD file and generate code for your project.
Brackets text editor
Brackets is open source and offers a decent community. It’s also available on Mac, Linux, and Windows machines. The interface is fairly simplistic, but the text editor has a wide range of features for you to play around with. In addition, developers are able to upload their own extensions via GitHub. If you would like to use one of these extensions, all you have to do is go to the website.
Which Features Make This One of the Best Text Editor Tools?
- Brackets delivers on value and its feature-set, especially considering you don’t have to pay a dime and it’s specifically designed for web developers.
- It has somewhat of an integration with PSD files.
- The text editor connects with GitHub.
- Several extensions are provided for you to expand upon the current text editor and potentially customize what your interface looks like.
- Brackets is a cross-platform solution for use on all of your operating systems.
- The live preview feature ensures that all developers can see their work in a more visual manner.
- The inline editors let you select an area inside of your code and open a window right in the editor. This way, you don’t have to have several tabs open while completing your work.
Brackets has plenty of features to consider, but it seems like developers will most enjoy the visual live previews–considering you can’t get this type of presentation in most text editors. It’s also nice for those who want a good value for a free text editor, considering the extensions and overall community vibe is strong.
CodeShare
The CodeShare text editor takes a completely different approach to online code editing. It’s built for developers, and it has a focus on giving these developers the opportunity to share code in real time and speak to each other through a video chat. So, essentially it’s a real-time code editor combined with a Skype-like communication service.
The reason we like this configuration so much is because the development teams no longer have to be in the same room to see and edit changes right before their eyes. This is highly beneficial for interviews, considering you could remotely hire someone and see their coding abilities along with their face. You also might use it for a debugging session or to review any type of code for your organization.
Codeshare
Keep in mind that any code written on CodeShare is only stored in the text editor for 24 hours. It’s then deleted. So, you either have to save it to your own machine or you have to sign up for an account at CodeShare. A sign-up is not technically required but it does give you that huge feature of saving your code.
Other than that, there is no fee to get started with CodeShare. All you have to do is create an account and then you receive access
gVim Editor
It is a GUI version of the popular Vim editor and it has similar functionalities as the command line Vim.
You can install gVim editor in Linux systems using your default package manager as shown.
$ sudo apt install vim-gtk3 [On Debian, Ubuntu, and Mint] $ sudo dnf install gvim [On RHEL, CentOS, and Fedora] $ sudo pacman -S gvim [On Arch Linux and Manjaro] $ sudo zypper install gvim [On OpenSuse]
Geany Editor
Geany is a tiny and lightweight integrated development environment that offers basic IDE-like features with a focus on software development using the GTK+ toolkit.
It has some basic features as listed below:
- Syntax highlighting
- Pluggable interface
- Supports many file types
- Enables code folding and code navigation
- Symbol name and construct auto-completion
- Supports auto-closing of HTML and XML tags
- Elementary project management functionality plus many more
You can install Geany editor in Linux systems using your default package manager as shown.
$ sudo apt install geany [On Debian, Ubuntu, and Mint] $ sudo dnf install geany [On RHEL, CentOS, and Fedora] $ sudo pacman -S geany [On Arch Linux and Manjaro] $ sudo zypper install geany [On OpenSuse]
Leaf Pad
Leaf Pad is a GTK+ based, lightweight GUI based text editor which is also popular among Linux users today. It is easy to use by new Linux users.
It has the following features:
- Codeset option
- Allows auto-detection of codeset
- Options of undo and redo
- Display file line numbers
- Supports Drag and Drop options
- Printing support
You can install Leaf Pad editor in Linux systems using snap package manager as shown.
$ sudo snap install leafpad
Conclusion
Not everyone likes using the same editor. This is especially true if you are a beginner programmer. There are many editors that are available to you in Linux. We are going to briefly discuss what are your choices are, whether they are the best options, and how good they are for beginners. The editors that I am going to talk about briefly are Atom , Brackets , Sublime Text , Vim , Emacs , Xcode , Visual Studio Code , Kate , Geany , Bluefish , Gedit .