This article lists the best Linux text editors for programming. Everyone has their own preference and other people might recommend other editors.
I think IDEs should be built into the shell instead of using a single editor and other people could disagree. So the list below contains the most popular and feature-rich text editors.
UltraEdit
UltraEdit is a text editor developed by IDM Computer Solutions. Inc. This code editor is cool to go with the developments in HTML, JavaScript, PHP, C/C++, Perl, and other programming languages.
Being a premium product in this category, UltraEdit is developed to offer the best programming features to the developers.
Developed by IDM Computer Solutions, UltraEdit is a great program that works with remote files perfectly. It isn’t only fast but also stable and easy to use. It handles big files efficiently of sizes over 1GB. UltraEdit comes with an array of features that help you in carrying out operations such as highlighting of syntax, sorting of file or data, editing of column or block, and so on. The software also supports SSH/telnet.
Below are the points to throw some light on the powerful features packed in this tool.
Pros
- Multi-Select option for editing a common code at once.
- Code and syntax highlighting to notify any error in the code.
- Integrated FTP for secure file transfer.
- Column/Block Editing
- File and data sorting
- Integrated SSH
- Good in handling large files
Cons
- The tool is very expensive as compared to the other text editors in the same segment.
Price: $79.95 per year
Verdict:
Although the software is a little pricey, it supports many features that are quite useful for advanced programming.
It is typically cheap as compared to the other tools which are staying in the market because of their brand name and also offer fewer features for a high price. UltraEdit is the best text editor available in the industry presently.
CoffeeCup
CoffeeCup is a lightweight text editor that supports HTML/CSS programming. The tool comes with a proprietary license and supports all major platforms including Windows and Mac.
Let us look at the features offered by this lightweight platform.
Pros
- Easy and quick startup
- Syntax and code highlighting
- Code Validation tools
- FTP enabled
- Option for Previewing the site
- A splendid support for HTML designing and development
Cons
- Involves adding other Coffeecup apps
- Only HTML/CSS supported
- Offers very basic features.
Price: $69
Verdict:
This ultra lightweight text editor is the best HTML editor for web designers. You can use it for everyday programming as it offers a very simple interface.
BlueFish
Here comes the ultra-fast code editor which supports a variety of markup languages.
The tool is so fast that it loads a complete website within a second. The platform supports simultaneous operations and can easily operate between 500+ documents.
This enables support for multiple projects running at a time. The tool is based on Perl Compatible regular expressions and supports all major operating systems including Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD.
Let us look at the full features list for an extended understanding of the tool.
Pros
- Very lightweight application.
- Supports multiple document execution and implementation
- Offers a snippet sidebar
- Supports full auto recovery in case of any mishandling
- Full-screen view for enhanced editing
- Search and replace for multiple edits at a time
- Remote files support using the gnome-vfs setup
Cons
- Constant application crashes on Windows 7
- Could have implemented extended features for new programming languages.
Price: Free
Verdict:
BlueFish is an ultra-fast text editor which loads and executes the code almost instantly. It is the best PHP editor to be precise as it offers great support for the markup languages.
Brackets
Brackets is an Adobe product and surprisingly, an open-source text editor that is free to download.
Adobe is known for offering the best products in the industry at a reasonable price. Some of its other products like Photoshop, After Effects and Illustrator, are already being used for web designing and graphics creation.
The main feature that separates Brackets from the rest of the code editors is its remarkable “Extract” feature. This feature allows you to grab colors, measurements, fonts, gradients, etc. from a PSD file into a ready-for-web CSS.
Let’s look at some more features of this remarkable tool:
Pros
- Uses Inline editors for faster access to a particular part of the code and more rapid implementation.
- Preview the code establishing a real-time connection.
- Brackets is an excellent tool for implementing JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
- Easily customizable being an open-source platform.
- Regularly updated with the latest features and bug fixes.
Cons
- Split screen not supported
- No full screen for a comprehensive view
- Third party plugins not allowed
- Does not support auto-completion of code
Price: Free
Verdict:
Brackets is one of the most efficient and the best text editor for Mac. Being an open source app, Brackets is regularly updated with the latest code and updates. In the case of any query or flaw, you can resolve the problem by reaching out to the Adobe community.
KompoZer
Last but not the least, we have a tool for the non-programmers, bloggers, and newbies.
KompoZer is a Mozilla powered Web Authoring System that combines web file management to the WYSIWYG web page editing. The tool comes in 21 languages along with an integrated FTP.
Here are the features:
Pros
- WYSIWYG editing
- Enabled spell checker
- Supports templates for better interface
- FTP enabled
- Portable version also available
- Complete page preview option
- Direct competition with Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage
Cons
- No support for remote file-editing
- Server-side scripting not supported
- No collaborative editing
Price: Free
Verdict:
KompoZer is an open source platform based on Gecko, the layout engine inside Mozilla. It is a reliable, super-fast conformant engine maintained by a wide community of developers. It provides the best authoring platform for XML, CSS, and JavaScript.
TextMate
TextMate basically employs the extremely robust capabilities of the UNIX command console in a user-friendly and neat GUI. This provides you with the best of the two worlds — as a committed programmer or a beginner code user. TextMate integrates features such as auto-indentation, search and replace within the project, dynamic outlines, column selection, among others.
Pros
- The program features an extensive library of plugins
- It is free and open-source
GNU Emacs
Emacs, first launched in 1976, is popular for its unique techniques for getting the job done. It employs a programming language called Emacs-Lisp, which has the most fundamental functions of editing for expanding the capabilities of the program beyond its humble text-based origin. Some of these expansions are an email client, file manager, newsreader as well as games such as Tetris and Snake.
Pros
- It can be entirely controlled using the keyboard
- It lets you debug, manage files, and compile
Cons
- It has a long learning curve
- Its extensibility can, occasionally, be a source of distraction to your work
Visual Studio Code
Compared to other text editing apps, this software is a newcomer. It is a lightweight text and script editor that, along with many other spectacular features, comes with a dark theme. If you do not like text editors like Vim and Emacs, Visual Studio Code is a perfect alternative.
Pros
- Visual Studio Code offers JavaScript IntelliSense support
- It has a lot of plugins for enhancing its functionality
- The software features integrated Git control, data integrity, and support for distributed and non-linear workflows
Cons
- Its autocomplete, as well as code check offerings, aren’t as robust as those of WebStorm
- Visual Studio Code has a terrible auto import
Free Download Visual Studio Code
Vim
Almost all Linux distributions, even older versions, come with the Vim editor installed. Vim stands for Vi Improved, meaning that Vim is a modified and improved version of the old Vi text editor.
Pros: Vim supports automatic commands, digraph inputs (useful in programming), split and session screens, tabs, colored schemes (color-coded by function), and tagging. It can be configured with plugins and comes with a tutorial (invoked with the vimtutor command). When you master the commands, Vim is very efficient.
Cons: It does not have a GUI. The only way you can initiate Vim is from the command line. The interface is user-unfriendly, while some commands are not intuitive. Coding a file from scratch would be too complicated. The learning curve can be steep, but Vim is very popular in the Linux community.
Nano Editor
Nano is a revision of an older editor called Pico and comes pre-loaded on most Linux installations. Nano is an ideal lightweight editor for beginners. It’s a lot easier to use than Vim, so it’s worth learning Nano for quick configuration edits.
Pros: It supports GNU Autoconf, interactive search-and-replace, auto-indent, and spellcheck. Nano is intuitive and easy to use. It lists the keystroke commands at the bottom of the editor, so you don’t have to memorize or look them up.
Cons: The list of commands is short and some may be unintuitive.
Conclusion
The best programming text editor for Linux lets you get various quick features of your application. The availability of open source operating systems on these devices is creating the need for creating games, software, and other kinds of applications to get completed. An application developer or programmer is required to use this feature of the Linux Text editor to get programming packages running on the device.