[SOLVED] best free HTML editor?

[slayerdeath555]

hey. can someone tell me wich is best free HTML editor? i need something like first page2006. i used to have that 1 but i found few viruses in it. so pls post one :)

p.s. first page 2006 was simple to use nothing complicate...im looking for something like that.

[FredT]

WYSIWYG - possibly nvu...
Text editor - notepad++

[TinaGeek]

Nvu has changed its name

Its now reborn as Kompozer

http://kompozer.net/

I really recommend it, its so easy to use!

[J.J.]

EditPlus 3 is great for HTML, and a load of other stuff for the internet as well ie. JavaScript, css, php, etc.

http://www.editplus.com/download.html

Note: each time you start EditPlus a window comes up telling you that this is day whatever of your 30 day evaluation period, but you can keep using EditPlus beyond the evaluation period anyway.

[DJ-Zep]

I'm personally a fan of Notepad++, but I also recommend Nvu.

[ahmorrow]

Best, free... hmmm... Notepad for Windows which is the o/s you're using. So I'd just stop there. Why is it the best? It provides a much more old school feel to it. You don't get the syntax highlighting or the wysiwyg perks, but you get a better learning experience learning how to debug and learn from your mistakes than using a wysiwyg editor--which I am completely against because they add a LOT of useless crap--or syntax highlighting which I use now because I don't like looking for that missing " \ ' ) } or ; lol.

Honestly notepad is the best in my opinion, followed by notepad++ but there are MANY out there. Check out CNET aka download.com for a lot of free tools. Just play around with the advanced search options to find what you're looking for.

[sobeit]

first page 2006 gives false positives for viruses. There is nothing wrong with it.

But you can use Kompozer as previously suggested. it is pretty good. Also I have done some minor editing with open office and it seems to do a pretty good job with html.

[HazmiFie]

Notepad ++ is good enough for HTML editing

[slayerdeath555]

kompzer isnt really good cuz when i tipe <br /> it change to <br> automatic...wich is next on best?

[ahmorrow]

notepad++ it's not WYSIWYG, but it has syntax highlighting which is a big help.

[jamiemac2005]

I'm assuming that feature of kompozer is moddable. The problem with WYSIWYG editors is that there aren't many free ones, and there are loads of expensive (but quite poor) ones. I'd say that in the way of HTML editing your best bet is to hand-code with a decent snippets plugin (Notepad++ with QuickText is very nice to work with). If you can't bare hand-coding and don't have the money to spend on Dreamweaver then get a basic linux distro (Ubuntu is easy to use for the first time user, Debian if you're used to linux) and try out all the Linux based WYSIWYG editors (there aren't many though).

Anyway, that's my two cents... Hope any of it helped.

Cheers,
Jamey

[Rhyono]

I personally hate WYSIWYG editors. I had to use one for a web design class in high school, one that I was taking just so I could spend more time on a computer at school. When looking at the source code of things they make, there was so much useless code, as ahmorrow mentioned.
I use Programmer's Notepad, which is like Notepad++, I definitely prefer entirely writing the code myself. I do a lot of javascript and I'd be amazed if an editor could write it better than I can.

[jamiemac2005]

I used to feel EXACTLY the same... I hated WYSIWYG editors, personal pet peeves: Frontpage and Web Easy 7... They push out so much junk-code, leave stupid amounts of whitespace and generally are really ot efficient. But, i bought dreamweaver (Student Ed), and found it brilliant, at first it pushed out junkcode, basically coded in a nasty way. Then i found the extensive developer's docs, and started modding. You can customise it completely to code exactly as you would. The API is all JS based, and i've been a JS developer for many years so i found it nice and easy to work out.

As it is i do definately like hand-coding (Notepad++ being my fave editor), but i use Dreamweaver for mocking up small projects, or designing small pages (Mainly when plugging them with PHP).

[ahmorrow]

I agree if you find a WYSIWYG that you can mod and make it your own, do it. They're not horrible to work with, just make horrible code, and if you can fix that, you're set.

I'm still going to stick with my notepad... or gedit in my case :-)

[slayerdeath555]

ok ty guys for anwsers but id really dont like download notepad++...i there any other editor with highlights but doesnt change code at all?

[jamiemac2005]

http://editplus.info/wiki/Alternative_Editors Take a look there, see if you like any of them.

[slayerdeath555]

huh ty for your time but since i really dont understand half of stuff out there not event what means WYSIWYG :S so i would really aprechiate if someone could find me a cool editor with no self editing code ( <br /> to <br> ) and WITH included highligths (they help much) and some other nice features :)
please NO:
first page (06)
kompozer
notepad++

[ahmorrow]

notepad++ doesn't change any of your code. Just uses the syntax highlighting--which changes your color. Or at least that's all it does for me.

[slayerdeath555]

Originally Posted by slayerdeath555

please NO:
first page (06)
kompozer
notepad++

[ahmorrow]

I get that, but you're making it sound like it's changing your text and I wanted to be sure that was the reason behind it. Best HTML editor in my opinion has been and always will be notepad, not notepad++, but you said you wanted syntax highlighting.