Hey everyone! I've been using Atom as my text editor because I love its UI and UX, but since it's no longer supported, I'm on the hunt for a new one. I'm using Windows with WSL, primarily coding in C and Assembly, so I need something really minimalistic—think of the default text editor on Ubuntu.
I've tried Notepad++ (not a fan of its look), Codeblocks (too slow for my tastes), and VSCode (just too much going on with all the bells and whistles). I'm not looking for an IDE or anything advanced—I want something that feels similar to what I'd have during exams, with no auto-completion or extra features, and compiling through the Linux terminal is already covered with WSL.
I've heard about Zed text editor but it's not available for Windows yet. Is there a way to run the Linux version on WSL? Any recommendations for a free, barebones text editor like Sublime would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
Don't overlook NeoVim! It's lightweight and very effective for coding. I've switched to it recently and I'm loving the experience!
If you're okay with terminal-based editors, I recommend trying Helix Editor. It's pretty straightforward and should suit your needs.
Neovim could be a solid choice! I've been using it in WSL after moving away from VSCode, and it strikes a nice balance of being lightweight yet customizable. You can tweak it to look as simple or as sophisticated as you want.
You can definitely use WSL with any Linux distro, but if you stick with Ubuntu (which is the default), you can just open up 'nano' for a super simple text editor. If you're into GUI editors, you can install things like gedit or Kate through WSL as well. Personally, I really like vim; it's lightweight but does come with a learning curve.
I think dte is a great option for a no-frills text editor. I've been using it daily and it's served me well!
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