Overall Satisfaction with Notepad++
Notepad++ is currently being used on a user-preference basis. Though not required or formally instituted, it is essentially the de facto choice for those in our organization's IT department that review documents with different code languages. Developers, DBAs, and IT analysts all use Notepad++. The application is leveraged because of its readability: Notepad++ has a feature where it can easily recognize and then display various coding languages with colored syntax to help users more quickly and efficiently read code.
Additionally, business users in our organization use Notepad++ because of its very detailed character location information (e.g. displays exact column space, line number, character selection, etc.).
Additionally, business users in our organization use Notepad++ because of its very detailed character location information (e.g. displays exact column space, line number, character selection, etc.).
- Being able to open a document, select from numerous different coding languages, and then automatically have Notepad++ display the document with that language's color-coded syntax is extremely helpful for quickly analyzing and dissecting code.
- Being able to download Plugins for various purposes allows Notepad++ to continually adapt and expand for continued use.
- The fact that Notepad++ is free and open-source software is great for a budget-conscious buyer, but it also means that there is no ulterior motives (e.g. cross-selling products) nor is there a worry about licensing.
- One convenient feature about Notepad++ is that any document you are working on is always saved in memory. This is very helpful if you accidentally close out of the app, or if you are forced to close out (e.g. software update, lose power), you will not lose the work you had opened.
- The ability to search through a document and have it highlight instances (in a specific color, for easy readability) of the selected phrase you're searching for is incredibly helpful. Buiding on this, the ability to quickly compare two documents to identify any difference- line by line- has proved incredibly helpful when comparing code and when comparing non-code document.
- The "Style Token" feature on Notepad++ could use improvement. Color markings are unpredictable when applied, making a potentially very helpful feature unusable.
- Notepad++ does have an issue in displaying and handling very large volumes of data. That is, files exceeding 50MB usually lag when opened in Notepad++ and are difficult to copy and paste.
- The reduced time it takes to read and analyze code due to Notepad++'s features (color-coding syntax, automatic formatting), has increased personal productivity of all users.
- Notepad++ being free and not requiring licenses means the department budget is not negatively impacted whatsoever.
- The relatively small size of the application allows for a quick install. Additionally, the innocuous nature of the app makes it an easy candidate for installation for those in organizations where you are not an administrator and need help-desk approval in order to install applications.
TextEdit and MS Notepad are two alternatives to Notepad++. Neither one of these applications offer the diversity of features that Notepad++ offers via its base ability and Plugin additions. Notepad++ is an application that was designed by developers and those familiar with code, so its design and navigation is easy and intuitive for those in our IT department. Though you could argue TextEdit and MS Notepad were not designed specifically for developers or code-readers in mind, that is only another reason to use a free, easy-to-use product as an alternative.
Do you think Notepad++ delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Notepad++'s feature set?
Yes
Did Notepad++ live up to sales and marketing promises?
I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process
Did implementation of Notepad++ go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Notepad++ again?
Yes