TextPad 5 ?

[kindlerm]

As a longtime user (and with some small exceptions: lover) of TextPad, I would like to know when and whether TextPad 5 will be released.
I am currently working a lot with unicode files and come to the point that TextPad is not really helpful.
I found some information from helios from 2003(!!!!) that they are working on TextPad 5 with full unicode support. So, please, helios, when will your work bear fruit?

Martin

[KimmoA]

TextPad seems to be dead...

[talleyrand]

Helios assures us that TP 5 is under development. They also have a long standing rule of never divulging product features or release dates so when is anyone's guess. Some have guessed that it will be tied in with the release of Longhorn and there are indications that may be truth in that timeframe but nothing is certain at this point.

[Bob Hansen]

As another long time user, I am confident that a new version will be forthcoming when they have a quality product available.

I for one am willing to wait and do not expect to be disappointed.

[dhergert]

But seriously, 3 years for a new version?! This is not an operating system! Its a text editor! Whats the hang up? Can a list of features currently being added/worked on be divulged. Maybe an estimated date? SOMETHING!

I agree that TextPad is a great product, and I love it. But I refuse to purchase a license until 5.0 comes out, I am not going to buy a 4.7.3 license only to have it obsoleted, whenever that may be. Maybe if it allowed me to upgrade to 5.0 for free, then maybe.

[talleyrand]

But I refuse to purchase a license until 5.0 comes out, I am not going to buy a 4.7.3 license only to have it obsoleted, whenever that may be. Maybe if it allowed me to upgrade to 5.0 for free, then maybe.

You are welcome to try this program before you buy it. The software is fully functional, but you will be intermittently reminded that it is not free.

So if you're a longtime user of Textpad, you could have registered it back when it wasn't 3 years between releases and instead 6 months, a year, 2 years from the last release, whenever really. The point is, if it's the tool that meets your needs, you should fulfill your obligation and purchase the product instead of evaluating it for a longtime.

Just my 2 bob

[dhergert]

I whole heartedly agree..I'll pay for good shareware software, I've done it may times in the past. And I definitely plan to, but when did I say I was a longtime user?

Anyways, this is not the point, all I am saying is for the past year no one has known when version 5.0 was going to be coming out, we were just told it was being worked on and will be out someday. "its not helios policy to disclose information..." is all we get. Why? I just think the authors of the software should be alittle more forthcoming with information about the next release. Its better for PR, it will generate more buzz about the product, probably garner them more customers, etc, etc.

[talleyrand]

My bad, didn't notice the switch in authors.

I agree with you that more communication from Helios would be great, I doubt there are many who visit these boards would feel otherwise. However, as it's their company, they can choose to make whatever marketing decisions they want

[Bonzooznob]

Hello all,

I too, am a long time registered (user/lover) of Textpad 4.x.

I would like to hear word, from someone at Helios, that there is something in the works (here in 2006).

I'll admit, there's not too much to improve apon, but for the sake of this conversation, I'll list the items that are pulling me away (e.g. Features I really desire)

1.) Bold/Italic options, in syntax highlighting. To me, this seems like a 5min code change, but I personally, would be glad to slap down another $25 USD for this feature alone.

2.) Auto-closing SGML tag option. (e.g. close XML, XSL, HTML, SVG tags)

3.) Editable macros. I understand that this one is huge, but sometimes I make 12+ step macros, and forgetting one tiny step, messes the whole process, forcing me to start over.

4.) Some method of building "auto-completion" into TextPad. E.g. if I'm in a page, editing CSS, if I type in "bor" it would be cool if I could auto-complete "borderWidth" or "borderStyle" from a preset list, in an inline drop down. (Similar to Google Suggest) <http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en>

5.) An Explorer / Directory pane, where I can navigate to files in a project easily.

6.) Increase the break-point check frequency, when performing a search in files. All too often, I do a search, click cancel, and need to wait 15-20 seconds before I can "interupt" it.

7.) I would like to be able to set the delimeter, when doing a copy-append. I often want to scoop up dozens of values, but have then line, or comma or space delimited.

Thats about it for me!

So, if you can, just a little whisper, that something is in the works, would calm my fears...

Cheers,
Bonzo

[SteveH]

When postings of this type have come up on recent occasions I have tried to distil my own view into print, but never quite successfully. Today I saw a posting on the Mailsmith (Bare Bones' Email client for the Mac) mailing list and it encapsulated most of what I was feeling after only a few minor edits. I would have to say that, unlike TextPad, Mailsmith has some pretty gaping 'design features' to be resolved so the need for an update is much more pressing.

What follows does not relate to this specific thread - it was just a convenient hook to hang it on.

So, if TextPad isn't dead, when will the next version be released? Unfortunately, Helios almost never reveals any details of product development to its users (hints about releases planned to coincide with Vista notwithstanding.) Judging from previous list traffic, this policy seems to be a purposeful decision made with full knowledge of the effects on customers.

Helios statements on this forum can be interpreted as: the user must decide whether the current feature set of the current version of the application continues to meet his or her needs. If it doesn't, then they wish you well, but they ARE evidently willing to say goodbye to you rather than divulge future features or release timetables.

Yes, it would be easier on customers who want to remain loyal to their product if Helios' development policy was not completely and entirely opaque to the customer. Nevertheless, that's their choice to make, with the benefits and the cons that result from that choice.

Seriously, as for me, I have decided that my problems with TextPad are outweighed by my enjoyment of its useability, elegance and its fine-toothed text control. I have not been able to reproduce these abilities on most text editors, and I have briefly toyed with UltraEdit, EmEditor, EditPlus,, and others, to see what they feel like. I've almost always returned to TextPad after even a brief trial run; I stayed a slight bit longer with EmEditor, but even then decided it isn't quite mature yet although the Unicode support is great (hint, hint).

So, for now, that's why I remain a TextPad user. If you choose differently -- well, as a fellow user, I certainly understand, though, and I wish Helios would understand that for development to be completely opaque to the user when a product cycle ends up taking years in between versions can be very frustrating ... especially for users of text editors who are probably, somewhat perversely, on the cutting edge of technology.

Still, as said above, their choice to make, and they appear to have made it. Wait and hope, or migrate. That's the choice we're left with. For now, I'll continue to wait and hope, but I don't begrudge anyone the choice to migrate, given the circumstances. (I do begrudge you the discourtesy -- you could've been a little classier -- but not the migration itself.)