I've been using Textpad 5.0 for a while now, but am absolutely hating it. Textpad has been my primary editor since version 3.0, but I'm finding v5 to be so extremely frustrating that I'm now ditching it!
A few issues off the top of my head:
- Can't minimise open windows anymore! (e.g. Have 3 windows open, but want to tile 2 only of them - I now have to close the third document first).
- File search results are no longer searchable.
- Tool output window is now docked, and cannot be maximised or minimised. This is a real PITA when you want to see all the output, or when you're done with the output, and want to do some more editing in full screen. Having both the document and output on the screen at the same time detracts from both views.
Also, if you increase the size of the tool output window to get a better view, it blocks the underlying windows, forcing you to close it before you can switch back to the document. Then of course your output is gone so you need to re-run the tool if you need to view the output again.
And finally, two ongoing requests that are still outstanding:
- Still no bold capability in the syntax highlighting
- No 64-bit edition
The only positive change I've come across so far is that the contents of unicode files can now be searched.
Sorry about the rant , but I needed to get this off my chest. Now where's that setup for v4.x....?
I have a laptop and a desktop PC. The desktop used to be my main computer, but the laptop has become my primary computer, and I only turn on the desktop when I need to access an accounting application.
I had occasion to use a text editor on the desktop PC the other day, and found that I was still running v4.7.3 on it. It was like reacqainting myself with an old friend. I hadn't realised how much I disliked v5 until I saw how good v4 was.
However, it's too late for me now, because I have switched to another editor, which has many of the enhancements that we have been waiting years for in TextPad, and apparently, is being actively worked on by a team of professional programmers. It would seem that this is another differentiator in comparison to TextPad.
I can still be wooed back to Textpad, but the mindless silence from Helios, and their refusal to engage with their user base is a significant deterrent, as is v5 itself!
