Emacs vs Notepad++: What are the differences?

Introduction:

In this article, we will compare Emacs and Notepad++ and highlight the key differences between these two popular text editors.

1. Operating System Compatibility:

Emacs: It is compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This makes it a versatile option for users with different system preferences.

Notepad++: Primarily developed for Windows, Notepad++ is mainly compatible with Windows operating systems. However, it can also be used through emulation on Linux and macOS.

2. Customizability and Extensibility:

Emacs: Known for its high customization capabilities, Emacs allows users to personalize its features extensively using Emacs Lisp, a built-in programming language. This includes creating custom keybindings, adding or modifying functions, and even implementing major modes for specific programming languages.

Notepad++: While Notepad++ does support some level of customization, it is not as robust as Emacs. Users can customize syntax highlighting, macros, and plugins to enhance functionality, but the extent of customization is limited compared to Emacs.

3. Built-in Features and Functions:

Emacs: Emacs provides a wide range of built-in features such as email client, web browser, and newsreader. It also offers a rich set of functionalities for developers, including code navigation, project management, version control integration, and even building complete development environments.

Notepad++: Notepad++ offers a variety of features tailored towards programming and text editing, including syntax highlighting, code folding, search and replace functionality, and support for multiple documents. However, it does not provide the extensive range of additional built-in features found in Emacs.

4. Learning Curve and Complexity:

Emacs: Due to its high customization capabilities and extensive feature set, Emacs has a steeper learning curve compared to Notepad++. Users need to invest time in understanding its keybindings, commands, and configuration options to fully utilize its potential.

Notepad++: With a simpler and more intuitive user interface, Notepad++ is generally considered easier to learn and use compared to Emacs. It provides a straightforward environment for basic text editing and programming tasks without the need for extensive customization.

5. Text Editing Modes:

Emacs: One of the notable features of Emacs is its ability to seamlessly switch between different text editing modes. It provides specific modes for various programming languages, enabling syntax highlighting, auto-indentation, code completion, and other language-specific functionalities.

Notepad++: Similar to Emacs, Notepad++ supports syntax highlighting for various programming languages. However, it does not offer the same level of extensive language-specific modes and functionalities as Emacs.

6. Community and Support:

Emacs: Being one of the oldest and most popular text editors, Emacs has a highly active and dedicated community. There is widespread documentation available and a vast ecosystem of Emacs packages and extensions developed by the community.

Notepad++: Notepad++ also has a significant user base and active community support. However, it may not be as extensive or diverse as the Emacs community. Users can find a good amount of community-developed plugins, but the overall support and ecosystem might not be as extensive as Emacs.

In Summary, Emacs offers cross-platform compatibility, extensive customization options, a wide range of built-in features, a steeper learning curve, advanced programming language-specific modes, and a large and active community. Notepad++, on the other hand, is primarily compatible with Windows, has limited customization capabilities, provides a simpler user interface, has basic text editing modes, and a comparatively smaller community support.