Call it what you will… text editor, html editor, source editor, code editor, programming editor, php editor, web development environment, IDE, project authoring environment, editor with syntax highlighting, scripting environment… there are editors galore to create, manage, and edit text and script files. I tend to call them html editors simply because that was the first description I had for them way back when I first started coding html web pages, and it’s a habit I’ve yet to break. Still, for the purpose of being more general and all-encompassing, I’ll stick with the term “text editors” here, even though most of my text editing is really code editing, and some of you might use full-blown project editors as well. But the ones listed below will likely satisfy the needs of almost everyone.

As I mentioned, there are many, many free text editors to choose from out in the wild, so I’ve pared this list down to just my all-time favorites. I’ve chosen one for each platform (Windows, Linux, Mac, and Cross-Platform).

 
 

Favorite Windows Text Editor:

The favorite in the Windows category is PSPad. With its impressive list of features, FTP support, and extensions, it just does everything I’ve needed and more.

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Favorite Linux Text Editor:

The favorite Linux text editor is Bluefish. It’s clean GUI with advanced support for SFTP, tearable menus, and impressive wizards makes this my current choice.

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Favorite Mac Text Editor:

The favorite in the Mac category is TextWrangler. Although I’m not currently working on a Mac, TextWrangler would be my choice. It’s the “all grownup” modern version of BBedit Lite. While the commercial version of BBedit is still a better choice for some, it isn’t free, so it doesn’t make the cut for this list.

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Favorite Cross-Platform Text Editor:

The favorite for the Cross-Platform category is Aptana Studio. This open source editor rocks with great features and tons of third-party extensions available, FTP and SFTP support, and integration with other products such as FireFox’s Firebug add-on.

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Sure, everyone likes to argue about what the best text editors are, and I’m sure there will be some who think their favorites are better than my favorites. But that’s the cool thing about favorites. We each get to have our own.

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