News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

November 9, 2006

software

Smultron: free doesn’t mean cheap

Posted Nov. 9, ’06, 11:47 AM PT by Pat Nakajima
Category | Software

Smultron ScreenshotFor those of you looking for a capable text editor for free, give Smultron a try. It’s well equipped for most of your text editing needs, complete with syntax coloring, full screen mode, tabbed document mode, a live preview mode that links your current file with your ftp server, and much more.

Now at version 2.2.1, Smultron has come into its own as a freeware app that could hold its own in the shareware realm any day of the week, at least in terms of functionality (some users are not too keen on its icon design).

After plopping down the coin for BBEdit 8.5, my bread is staunchly buttered on one side. However, for those of you on the fence, especially if you like the look of TextMate, but €39 ($49.7835 according to Google) is a little too rich for your blood, Smultron could be just what the doctor ordered.


6 Comments

Moe said:

Can you give some links where I might find screenshots for Smultron? The official site is pretty sparse.

November 9, 2006 12:11 PM
DarthMac said:

I alternate between TextWrangler and Smultron for editing HTML but find I use TextWrangler the majority of the time.

Having said that, I'm going to give this version of Smultron a tryout as I've been using TextWarngler daily for a month or more and feel like a change.

November 9, 2006 2:01 PM
Kuswanto said:

Smultron is slow when dealing with huge number of lines code.

I tested it on my iBook and iMac intel.

I go for textwrangler.

November 9, 2006 3:08 PM
Pat Nakajima Author Profile Page said:

Moe,
You're right, the site is rather bare. Keep in mind though, that Smultron is free. You can just download it and see anything you like.

DarthMac and Kuswanto,
I used to use TextWrangler before I got BBEdit. If BBEdit appeals to you, your freeware text editor will be TextWrangler. If TextMate appeals to you, your freeware text editor will be Smultron.

November 9, 2006 8:29 PM
Moe said:

@Pat - You're right of course, I could just download the thing. ;) I just wanted to ogle it a bit while I was at work and didn't have access to my MacBook.

November 10, 2006 8:39 AM
Pat Nakajima Author Profile Page said:

Moe,
Ah, I more than understand. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any screenshot repository. (Though I'd love it if there was one.)

November 10, 2006 9:06 AM

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