Looking for Lightweight Text Editors on Windows with WSL
Asked by
CuriousCoder42
Hey there! I've been using Atom for a while because I love its sleek UI and UX. Unfortunately, it seems like it's not being supported anymore, so I'm on the hunt for lightweight alternatives. I'm currently working on Windows with WSL, mainly coding in C and Assembly. I'm not after anything fancy—just a basic text editor similar to what you'd find in Ubuntu, like the default editor without any bells and whistles (no autocomplete or advanced features).
I've tried Notepad++ (not a fan of the default look), Codeblocks (which was a bit slow), and even VSCode, but it's just way too much for my needs. I've heard about Zed text editor, but it's not available for Windows just yet. Any recommendations for something simple and free that fits the bill?
Answers
Have you considered Neovim? I switched to it after years of using VSCode, and it's fantastic. It's flexible enough to be as lightweight or as feature-rich as you prefer, plus you can customize its appearance aesthetically.
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Honestly, I think dte is one of the best minimalist text editors out there right now! I've been using it daily and it's performed really well.
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You can definitely run Ubuntu's default editor, nano, directly in WSL. Just open your terminal and type `nano` to get started. If you're interested in GUI editors, you could also install things like gedit for Gnome or Kate for KDE in WSL. Personally, I really like Vim—it's lightweight and works well in both Linux and Windows, although it does have a bit of a learning curve.
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NeoVim is the way to go, dude! Give it a shot!
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If you're comfortable with terminal-based tools, I recommend trying out Helix Editor. It’s a solid option for minimalists.
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