TextMate: The Editor For The Rest Of Us
Textmate, dubbed “The Missing Editor” by the developers, is definitely a “mate” for all of the people that develop websites, or just need a powerful text editor that is easy to use. The first item of interest for this app is it’s interface. The UI of TextMate is so easy to learn, you will not need to look at the help! Since I am a web developer, I use TextMate for coding websites as well as writing small JavaScript programs.
TextMate’s tag/word color-coding comes into play here. TextMate displays each tag/word with a different color, depending on the type of tag/word. This goes for all of the “bundles” (packages that plug into TextMate that add functionality for a certain language/code). And, the user can choose the colors they want to use. All of those goodies can be found in the well-sorted Preferences menu. Back to bundles: there is a bundle for just about anything you can imagine. From ActionScript to YAML, there is a bundle for you. So, if you want to find the developer in you (or if you just need a powerful text editor), grab a 30-Day trial at www.macromates.com
I got this app through the recent macheist deal. I have not even scratched the surface of what it can do. The auto color and auto indenting depending on what programming language you write on it are definitely awesome. I think it is pretty extensible too with so many people developing plugins for it.
I’m with Yohannes. I found myself thinking “what’s the big deal” when I first played with the app. Then I clicked that little list at the bottom and my jaw dropped when I saw all the different languages it already had built in. The color-coding really helps when doing raw HTML or CSS.
I find it unfortunate that TextMate gets so much more attention these days that BBEdit, which is clearly its superior in any fair comparison.
I will be doing a follow up showdown between TextMate, Taco HTML Edit, and BBEdit shortly. Look out for ‘em!
@david, add xpad in there
David,
Can you add SubEthaEdit to that showdown. I would like to see how it compairs to TextMate…maybe I will switch over.
@jack Will Do!
@Zach Will Do!
Watch out for the showdown in a week’s time!