# Favorite Programming Editors

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-programming-editors/157537>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 26, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-programming-editors/157537 "2003-02-26T02:07:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-programming-editors/157537/21 "2003-02-26T19:06:34Z")

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Well, I’ve always liked the [Programmer’s File Editor](http://download.com.com/3000-2352-904159.html?tag=lst-0-3) which is quite configurable and has a lot of features I like, but it isn’t being updated or supported anymore.

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**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-programming-editors/157537/22 "2003-02-26T19:11:28Z")

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I use Visual Studio, but with Brief emulation turned on. It works surprisingly well.

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**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-programming-editors/157537/23 "2003-02-26T19:32:11Z")

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I hear [Dev C++](http://www.bloodshed.net) is good, it’s free too and build on top of the GNU compiler.

I use [EditPad Pro](http://www.jgsoft.com) to edit programs and plain text files alike, I love it.

Oh and vim rules, emacs sucks.

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**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-programming-editors/157537/24 "2003-02-26T19:59:26Z")

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another vote for eclipse for java editing, haven’t tried using it for other languages. I love the fact that it compiles the files as you edit/save them, and highlights your errors for you right away. Very handy.

-lv

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**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-programming-editors/157537/25 "2003-02-26T20:03:13Z")

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- 
  - 
    - Feh, sissies. _Real_ programmers type hex into hview.  
…

- To the OP: there’s a couple distinctions here: VB is rather nice because it’s a **drag-and-drop** interface also. To make buttons or whatever you use the mouse, and to enter code “into” the button, you just double-click on it. MS’s stuff is like that, and some of Borland’s software is also (CBuilder and JBuilder), but neither is free legitimately. I have not come across _any_ software like that for free.
- If you want something for free, then download the Sun Java SDK and a front-end such as JCreator. JCreator doesn’t have drag-and-drop GUI components but if you find constraint-based Java GUI construction mystifying then look online for info on using the [null] layout manager: using it, you just give X-Y coordinates for the top left and bottom right corners of your components on the window and they stay right where you tell them to. (as I have seen it with many students, doing GUI layouts are often a vexing part of Java programming)  
~

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