how long before leaving TP due to lack of upgrades?

[SteveH]

Arcane = understood by few; mysterious or secret

Pessimistic = gloomy, negative, defeatist, downbeat, cynical, bleak, fatalistic

I'm not sure how well I understand that point but I guess it could be seen as pessimistic and, from reading the thread, it may be aimed at my comment that

"TextPad is not 'broken' given that we all continue to use it everyday".

My point was that that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with TextPad - there are changes and enhancements that could be made. It is comprehensive text editor so there are not many new features that could be added; no-one is coming along with new formats for text files that need to be incorporated in the way that OpenOffice moves to XML, VisualStudio moves to C# and Photoshop move to SVG etc. It still works extremely well as a text editing tool: I licenced five licenses some years back and one colleague today was lamenting the fact that he is the only TextPad user on a new and it is so much better and productive as a coding tool.

I too feel that this quiet interval from Helios has been a long frustrating gap but clearly, like many other developers, they do not comment on their release cycle and that is their choice. If this has become an issue and is affecting your budgeting then maybe it is time to move on. I have registered and have been evaluating EmEditor (no hyperlink in case I incur the wrath of The Powers That Beâ„¢ and we get locked down) because of its Unicode capabilities and while it is a great app with lots of features, it is nowhere near as full-featured as TextPad yet.

Reading other threads I feel fairly confident in predicting that the next major release of TextPad will be in the same timeframe as Windows Vista.[/i]

[albert]

I have also been wondering when an update for Textpad is going to be released. I have also been looking for replacements since January 2005, but after using Textpad since version 3.x in 2000 I haven't come across another editor that does what I want it to do.

Mainly syntax highlighting and code compilation and running from the GUI.

Most of my work is done on Linux, but I still have a computer running Windows XP just to be able to work in Textpad. It would be great if Textpad was ported to Linux!

It would also be great if Textpad had code completion.

My company does a lot of development in Kylix. Company policy prescribes SuSE Linux as Linux operating system, but the Kylix IDE only works on SuSE 8.0. With a bit of tweaking it works on SuSE 9.1 but I cannot get it to work on SuSE 9.3 which means I use Eclipse which also offer syntax highlighting but lack so many features I take for granted.

[Defenestration]

It's a shame that the author of TP is waiting so long to release a new version, since releases are usually a disappointment and often contain quite a few bugs.

The best way of developing software is to get it to a reasonably stable stage, and then have regular releases addressing problems/ideas reported by users. That way not too much work is invested in components which may need re-working in the future due to complaints from users about usability.

Just recently a new version of Acronis TrueImage was released, but most of the features requested by users had not been implemented. The result - a lot of people complaining and saying they probably won't upgrade because it has nothing they want in it. Word begins to spread, and then the product begins to lose its appeal. Result - people look elsewhere.

Kaspersky is doing this with its latest AV software KAV/KIS 2006, and as well as all the good feedback, it builds up a loyal community who spread the word about how great the software is. Free publicity.


This always leads to the best software, and the author of TextPad ignores this methodology at their peril.

Please listen and begin releasing pre-beta versions of TextPad 5....

[helios]

This Forum isn't the place for advertising software which is in direct competition with our own, so any such entries will be deleted.

[acpatin]

I'm being using TextPad for the last 8 years and I've been happy with it, but I've also been looking for new releases for the last year. I'm trying other editors but I have to admit that Textpad still looks good compared with the others in the same price range even if the gap is closing down quickly...

So, let's explain why I decided to subscribe to this forum today and why I posted this message:

I'm really annoyed in not reading any interesting official news from Helios except for the ones in which they complain about the (understandable) desire of knowing when a new (and personally I think overdue) release of TextPad will be available.

I hope to read a interesting and satisfying message sometimes in the future...

This Forum isn't the place for advertising software which is in direct competition with our own, so any such entries will be deleted.

[SteveH]

This Forum isn't the place for advertising software which is in direct competition with our own, so any such entries will be deleted.

I think this needs some further expansion. Does this refer to a specific message that was advertising in the thread (I did get an alert that lead to an empty creen)? in the thread? Has a message been deleted? What if a message contains otherwise useful information? Will a place holder be put in place to indicate a deleted message?[/i]

[s_reynisson]

I don't think Helios minds a discussion/mention on other tools in the forums, they kick the competitors a** in any case!
There is new user on the forum who had a total post count of 2. Both posts were a shameless plug for another editor. Helios deleted one of them.

[dhammond]

This poll needs one more option before "I am happy the way it is". Something like "I would love to switch, if I could find another editor with a super-intuitive interface that also has editable macros (or some other feature I've wanted for ages)."

Like many TextPad users I check for updates often and am usually disappointed. I look constantly for another editor that does what I want to do, but have always been disappointed. I commend Helios for creating a great product -- my all-time #1 shareware software. But I'm puzzled by their apparent lack of concern over the frustration of their most loyal customers. This poll shows nearly 50% have switched or plan to switch to another editor. All most of us want is more information about the development plans. At this point I can only assume that Helios' doesn't consider its most loyal customers its most important customers.

[MyrddinE]

I understand a desire to improve upon Textpad. And I think that Helios would be criminally stupid to not be working on major improvements.

But Textpad is also a 'best of breed' editor in its niche. That niche is working with text. It's a simple niche, but it has broad ramifications.

Is the niche software development? Not really. There are better editors for that.

Is the niche document writing? Nope, rich text editors have that covered.

But for actual working with fixed font text, Textpad has no equal. It's wealth of features for justification (or lack), massive files, shortcuts for a dozen useful features for modifying the text, search and replace that's the envy of anyone who doesn't know 'sed' backwards and forwards...

Textpad is the best general purpose text editor there is. It is adequate at a wide range of nich editor needs, and excels at many fixed font only needs. It's performance is excellent, it's usability is supreme.

Does it have things that could be improved? Of course. My pet peeve is the way Ctrl-Tab and Ctrl-Shift-Tab work, which is kinda shitty... now, it is shitty just like every other MDI app out there, but once upon a time they used custom tabbing code that was not shitty, and I miss it. :-)

Would I like it if they had a big upgrade that gave it some great IDE like features, or extended its reach with better scripting? Of course!

But am I going to bitch at them just because their excellent editor isn't updated often? Hell no. They have given me free upgrades since I started using it at TextPad 2.0, and I've gratefully upgraded every time, happily accepting the great new features (syntax highlighting, document specific properties, YAY!) that just make TextPad a breeze to use.

Textpad is good because it doesn't get in my way, and makes the tasks I want to do easy. I spend half my time in a linux prompt, but I do most of my text editing in Windows, just because nothing equals Textpad. There's no reason to bitch at the developers just because they're not giving me FREE upgrades fast enough, yeesh.

[dhammond]

There's no reason to bitch at the developers just because they're not giving me FREE upgrades fast enough, yeesh.

I agree that the last thing we Textpad needs is more updates that results in a bloated and/or less reliable product. I am merely suggesting that it may be time for Helios to break its code of silence about their development plans. Right now they are asking us to wait an indefinite amount of time for a product that may or may not contain the features we are waiting for. No wonder so many people are giving up and finding alternatives. (By the way, I'm pretty sure I paid to upgrade from version 3 to version 4, and would expect to pay to upgrade to version 5. Have I forgotten about getting a free upgrade? It's been so long.)

[MyrddinE]

I don't understand your concern. There are really only two scenarios:

• You've already bought TextPad. Any upgrades will be free, and they'll come out when they're done. You can use TextPad, or something else if you like... when the new version comes out, you can go back to using TextPad.
• You have not yet paid for TextPad, and the features in the current version are not good enough for your $29.95. Don't buy it. Wait until the next version comes out, and re-evaluate it then.

In either case, there is no reason why them 'divulging their secret plans' will help you at all. Either TextPad is what you need to use right now, or not. Either you'll get the new version for free when it comes out, or you can decide to get it then. Your choice.

In no way do I see there being an ADVANTAGE to Helios to tell us what they're thinking about releasing until they are SURE they are going to release it, and have a good idea when. Nothing makes for worse press than promising a feature and then having to go back on the promise because it's too slow or difficult to impliment (See Forte Agent for examples of how NOT to do software releases).

If upgrades were not free, THEN you might have a valid case. If you had to make a choice between buying a product now and maybe having to pay again when the new version was released, or waiting for the new version... well, that's a hard choice, and what's in the new version, and when it comes out, will make a big difference. But it IS free. There is no reason not to buy it now if you think it's worth your 30 bucks. If it's not worth it, then you can think about it when the new version comes out. C'est la vie.

Myrddin

[MyrddinE]

Erg, I should have read what you posted before ranting further. Sorry about that.

I don't recall paying for an upgrade... perhaps I have a selective memory. Perhaps I just paid happily because I use TextPad all the time and it was money well spent. But if TP5 has an upgrade cost, I concede that knowing what will be in the new version would be important to a decision on whether to buy it now (or buy more licenses).

But for people who already own it? I still don't understand your concern. You're free to use a different editor if Textpad no longer meets your needs. And you can come back to Textpad when the new version comes out, and see if the upgrade is worth your money. If Textpad is not sufficient for you, use something else... this isn't marriage, you can cheat on TextPad and still come back anytime you like, no hard feelings. :-)

[MudGuard]

http://www.textpad.com/order/upgrades.html

I think when there will be a version 5.x, the situation will be similarly between 4.x and 5.x as it is now between 3.x and 4.x.

[Tomas Eklund]

If Textpad is not sufficient for you, use something else... this isn't marriage, you can cheat on TextPad and still come back anytime you like, no hard feelings. :-)

Hmm. Maybe that's just it!? People here have such a strong emotional connection with Textpad that they do experience hard feelings when Textpad/Helios turns it's back on them and makes them feel like being left out in the cold and ... It's just like when my previous girlfriend ... oh, well ... nevermind. That's another story. Let's not go there today.

[vr8ce]

Surely you can't put all the blame on Helios.
TP5 has been comfirmed to be "under development". I'm guessing it will come out after Vista final beta and before Vista. A safe bet would be same Q.

Of course we can. It's ludicrous with a capital L to tie a release of an editor to an OS release, especially an OS release that is two years away (which is how long it's been since we've seen a major release of TextPad). Given the state of Vista, it's likely to be another year before we see it, or (allegedly) TextPad 5. With no hint at new capabilities.

It's equally as ludicrous (more so, actually) that they've gotten away with it (judging from your comments and the absence of others).

And a single "it's under development" statement does not "confirmation" make.

Helios is free to do (or apparently not do) what they want with their product. But they should at least be seen for what they are -- developer(s) in absentia, who are using the poorest excuse I've ever heard for not upgrading their product (and who took a year to come up with that excuse).