If you’ve ever used notepad in windows, you’ll know how basic it really is. It’s fine for amending the odd file, but can’t be used for anything longer than a few minutes without frustration seeping in!

Well now is your chance to change your habits in favour of this open-source alternative. Notepad++ has a lot going for it – it has the ability to be installed onto a USB stick – ideal if you carry your website around with you (such as myself). It is also context sensitive (depending on the file type you load into it, it will colour code functions/variables/braces and adjust spacing and tab sizes accordingly). There is also in-built functions for common text operations – such as changing case, swapping double quotes for single quotes and even converting binary to decimal or other bases within the editor. Notepad++ can also be used as a hex editor (for you serious coders out there), has support for macros and has the ability to talk to web browsers to display your latest coding creation.

All in all, notepad++ is a vastly superior successor to Windows notepad – and best of all it is open source, free to download and has a tiny footprint of a meagre 2.5Mb. [SHOW ME]