Textpad Linux Port - Again

[zainka]

I know... I am anoying, asking for the same linux port again and again, but then again, I like turtles... This time I request it because I found the following snipped section in Helios own introduction to Textpad..

"When just getting the job done is work enough, the last thing you need is to waste time having to learn yet another computer application. Your experience with other tools should be relevant to each new application, making it possible to sit down and use that new application right away.

That's why TextPad® is so popular. Whether you simply need a powerful replacement for Notepad, a tool for editing your web pages, or a programming IDE, TextPad does what you want, the way you would expect."

...And they are sooo right about it, and this is exactly why Helios should do it, else I cant see how their statement can be fulfilled. Because, I don't have time to learn yet another computer application!

[ak47wong]

If you think this information adds value to the existing request for a Linux port (it doesn't), why not add it there instead of starting a new, worthless thread. I think the moderators should delete this one as a duplicate.

[zainka]

Yes, I think it ads value.. (realy!)

It adds the value that the poll is active again, which is not the case for the other thread where it was disabled. This poll is set to be non terminating.

Also it adds the value to keep focus. (realy!)


Breg

[SteveH]

My inclination would be against voting for a Linux port of TP at this time. There are too many other enhancement suggestions that come up with more frequency that I would suggest they focus on adding to the Windows features set first.

[MudGuard]

My inclination would be against voting for a Linux port of TP at this time. There are too many other enhancement suggestions that come up with more frequency that I would suggest they focus on adding to the Windows features set first.

Same opinion as mine - Textpad for Windows development is slow enough, it doesn't make sense to slow it down even more by taking developing manpower away for a linux port.


vi exists

[insert_nick]

I've not tried it extensively, but TextPad seems to work pretty well with Wine on linux:

http://appdb.winehq.org/appview.php?iAppId=85

[r_avital]

This is relevant, because if Helios doesn't do it, and some enterprising team of Linux developers end up doing it for them, Helios will have no grounds to cry foul.

Enhancements are important. Yet, this product is already so mature and so powerful, that it is difficult to see (and I am a programmer) how much further it could be enhanced. There's also Eclipse in this world, you know...

Textpad on wine in Linux is not a good option. Tried it. Many of the advantages of using TP become irrelevant on wine, and I'd hate to keep the extra footprint of wine just for TP.

Linux users, contrary to popular wisdom, are not strictly about free beer. Many Linux users will gladly pay the same price that Helios charges for a TP license, for a Linux versions. Helios could only benefit.

My vote is yes.

[Drxenos]

This is relevant, because if Helios doesn't do it, and some enterprising team of Linux developers end up doing it for them, Helios will have no grounds to cry foul.

Legally, you're wrong. Of course the point is moot seeing how the source code is not available. Unless you are strictly talking about an independently written "look-alike" and not a port. Then, I agree: that would be nice. Actually, it would be ideal, since Helios wouldn't have to split their focus.

Enhancements are important. Yet, this product is already so mature and so powerful, that it is difficult to see (and I am a programmer) how much further it could be enhanced. There's also Eclipse in this world, you know...

Textpad on wine in Linux is not a good option. Tried it. Many of the advantages of using TP become irrelevant on wine, and I'd hate to keep the extra footprint of wine just for TP.

Linux users, contrary to popular wisdom, are not strictly about free beer. Many Linux users will gladly pay the same price that Helios charges for a TP license, for a Linux versions. Helios could only benefit.

My vote is yes.

I agree with SteveH and MudGuard. I'd prefer Helios continued to concentrate on the Windows version. I would assume that Helios is most likely a one person (perhaps two) operation. They probably have neither the time or expertise to create and maintain a Linux port.

DrX

[EricB]

Either a port to run in kde or a look-a-like is fine by me. This is the #1 text editor in my view of things. I'd be happy with a work-a-like look-a-like even if it wasnt as full featured as the windows version and i wouldnt even complain if it was a one off thing. Get it working, fix any bugs and then let it sit as a linux stable version with no further enhancement work. I'd take that in a new york minute! Even if the author doesnt want to publish the source, if i could get a working binary for a distro like Mandriva 2010 (64 or 32 bit) it would make my day. KDE's Kate is somewhat like TP but even tho i am a linux person, i have to say TP is much much better. There are some real good basic windows programs that if ported to linux would really be a hit. for example, I'd love to see (and would definately be willing to pay for) a linux console version of DOS's EDIT or a console debugger like Borlands Turbo Debugger

[Cloink]

I know for a fact Helios won't port TP to Linux, but I have voted Yes because I would still like them to.

If they could just advise the WINE team what Windows-ish system calls it's doing when you close it so that the Wine people can fix the only major problem I've found under WINE, that would be ace.

The problem is is an 'Unexpected Error' when you close down, and then no settings get saved (eg. Workspace, Config prefs).

Btw, I managed to port all my Workspaces, registry settings, macros, etc over to Linux/Wine, and it works fine, if a bit slow on my under-powered EEE netbook. It's just that shutting down problem.

(There is another thread on these forums that tell you all the steps you need to carry out to copy one install over to another machine.)

Cloink.

[waterpump]

Using Linux Mint 10 and WINE + Winetricks and Winetricks alpha, Textpad installs perfectly.

Drag the TextPad.exe file from the Program Files folder to your Linux desktop, right click and select 'Open With Wine Windows Program Loader'

Runs perfectly except one minor niggle - the scroll bars fail to operate, but text can be accessed using the arrow keys instead of the scroll bars and as far as I can see the TextPad functions are working OK!

[Cloink]

Waterpump, Hi,

Yes, TP installs "perfectly", but are you sure everything functions just as well?

I emailed TextPad support with a crash report created from an ubuntu install and they found the problem is that Wine does not support the Win-XML API which Textpad uses upon closing to create the config.xml file. I believe it only does this if you have user-defined preferences.

Since I did my previous post, I have a dual boot PC, Win7 & Linux(ubuntu), with the at-the-time latest release of Wine (>1.2.2 - not on there at the mo'). I have the Windows C: drive mounted in Ubuntu as "/Win7-C:" then I have pointed the Wine C: emulation to /Win7-C:.

Additionally, with a TextPad registry export from the Win7 boot, imported into the Wine-install version of regedit (ie. the version of regedit.exe that Wine created when it installed, rather than the regedit.exe in the system path on "/Win7-C:"), TP sees everything /exactly/ like it does on the Windows boot. (Nice.)

But. Without changing any preferences, TP still crashes when closing down. (I have a number of macros, shortcut keys, etc assigned, which are set in the preferences dialogue - or were in the Win7 boot.)

Just to finish if anyone else is trying to do a dual boot, some problems I've noticed are -

1. I have seen the scrollbars/click-not-working problem but it's ok at the moment. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, not sure what makes the difference.

2. When the mouse hovers over the Document Selector, the filename over which it is hovering is brought to the front without clicking it; plus the doc-selector 'pane' steals focus. I unpin it so it auto-hides so that you don't accidentally select the wrong doc with the mouse when you're not intending to. (It even selects the hovered-over doc when TP isn't the focussed window.)

3. I use 'block select' a lot, which can be triggered using the ALT key with the mouse. The ALT key is the default key in ubuntu that if you hold and then click with the mouse, causes the window to move. This obviously prevents the block-select mode. You can change Ubuntu to NOT use the alt key for this in System > Preferences > Windows. This might require a reboot before it is 'understood' by TextPad.

[waterpump]

hi Cloink,

Can't specifically address the details you describe, however I have found that if you maximise the textpad window, then it becomes more unstable with errors on shutdown.

If you keep the TP window unmaximized then all seems to be OK , except the scroll bars as stated before.

I confess I don't use the 'deep functions' of TP, mainly use for the 'join lines' function with split text, so can't comment on the details you describe.

thanks for your comments.

[Cloink]

I guess the maximisation then is stored in the config.xml file that tp saves in your user directory.

[ds0934]

I'd rather see a web-hosted version than another OS port.