BBEdit's free version is great as an update to the group's previous product Text Wrangler, which, as that name implies, allowed us to manage any text to remove odd formatting and adjust the text to our specific needs as a publishing group. The paid version, which I am less familiar with, has considerably better tools if you are seeking BBEdit for coding purposes, as its HTML ability is much better than the free version I use more regularly. If you are looking for a word processor or other more polished text files, this is unlikely to suit. But if you want a simple program with surprisingly complex uses for preparing text for another program or writing code, this may be the program you need
I find it really helpful to cut and paste some of my code, or test out my ideas, using gedit. The software is quick to install and is flexible for use with a lot of different software languages. This is a pure editor that is, in my opinion, the premier notes app for coders.
Updates are frequent and I can't recall any issues with broken programs or vulnerabilities. The team behind BBEdit is also generous with its free trials, allowing long-term free users to have multiple chances to sample its full software. I am unsure if I had issues how the support would be, only because I have not needed them
Compared to Brackets, BBEdit feels faster, leaner, and has more utility value. Brackets feel oriented towards coders specifically, whereas BBEdit is like a toolbox of text tools for a wide array of needs. I feel like the same is probably true for Visual Studio Code, but I have barely used it. Visual Studio Code is used by my company's IT department, and from observation, it seems like a very capable coding application. I expect to dig into it further when I have time.
gedit is very lightweight and intuitive to use- its simplicity is its biggest strength. What you are using here is a pure editor, so it's very much like a more helpful, intelligent version of your basic note-taking application. I find other comparable applications may offer more options, but they are also less intuitive and therefore less efficient for my note-taking needs.
