Notepad is probably the most notorious text editor in the world, and since its name really does ring a bell for almost every computer user, most companies that create new similar programs and slightly change this name, using at least parts of it. Programs like EditPad or Notepad++ are also well known, but finding another program called simply NotePad makes my wonder how come Microsoft didn't file a suit against 12Ghosts, the company that released it. Well, I guess they can always do that, but my only purpose today is to see how good or bad is this program, so let's go and check it out!
Setup
12Ghosts software's NotePad has reached its 8th edition, and if you want to know the entire version number, it's 8.0.11.4942, released on the 11th of January. The setup package of this program has 2.1MB in size, and installing it is a piece of cake, as you can see in the screenshots below.
If you're wondering about the price, I won't keep you waiting and I'll tell you that NotePad is priced at $22, and the test version has a nag screen that comes back from time to time, and no other functional limitations, from what I've been able to notice.
Interface
"Distaster" is too much, but "bad" is not enough to describe this program's interface. I know I may be too rough, but I thought the original Notepad from Microsoft was one of the easiest and most "un-friendly" text editors. Well, at least that one didn't produce any useless sounds, like this one... 12Ghosts' NotePad main window can be resized using the keyboard, and its interface allows you to easily manage multiple files, but it's really ugly, as you can see in the screenshot above, and I have nothing else to say about it.
Features
I am thinking about what to say about this program, and I really can't find much to say. First of all, NotePad is able to produce some really annoying sounds, but the good part is that you can simply mute all sounds by going to the Options menu and choosing to do so.
Other than that, I can tell you that this program is almost completely keyboard-driven, so shortcut freaks will surely love it more than I do, because I always want more from a text editor than just keyboard shortcuts. Anyway, the formatting options can be easily applied using shortcuts, and that's a plus.
During my brief experience with this program, I found some features to work really bad, like the Undo feature. The Options area has only some basic settings, although it seems to allow you enhanced control over the text editing tasks. There is no syntax highlighting, no HTML preview and no chance to use external tools with any open file inside NotePad, so off to the conclusions we go!
The Good
NotePad is as easy to use as the original Notepad, but that's all...
The Bad
There is no syntax highlighting, the interface is very bad, the amount of system memory used is pretty high, some features don't work as they should, and the program is really limited, considering its price and what competitors can offer for a similar amount of money.
Conclusion
I usually try to avoid programs from the "no way" category, but sometimes I simply run into them, and I think it's better this way. After all, I advise you not to do the same mistake, unless you really have a lot of time to spare, and you want to test your resistance to stress. I am not angry, but only disappointed, and that should say it all...
Developer: 12Ghosts Inc.
Price: $22
Trial Link: Download
How brazen can you be to expose to the large public, personal information of 1,200 people, all being eBay members?
