As its title implies, the venerable Notepad++ textual content editor started as a extra succesful model of the traditional Home windows Notepad, with options reminiscent of line numbering and syntax highlighting. It was created in 2003 by Don Ho, who continues to be its major writer and maintainer, and it has been a Home windows-exclusive app all through its existence (older Notepad++ variations help OSes as previous as Home windows 95; the present model formally helps all the things going again to Home windows 7).
I’m not a loyal consumer of the app, however I used to be conscious of its historical past, which is why I used to be shocked to see information of a “Notepad++ for Mac” port making the rounds final week, as if it have been a port of the unique accessible from the Notepad++ web site.
Apparently, this information shocked Ho as effectively, who claims that the Mac model and its writer, Andrey Letov, are “utilizing the Notepad++ trademark (the title) with out permission.”
“That is deceptive, inappropriate, and albeit disrespectful to each the venture and its customers,” Ho wrote. “It has already fooled individuals—together with tech media—into believing that is an official launch. To be crystal clear: Notepad++ has by no means launched a macOS model. Anybody claiming in any other case is just driving on the Notepad++ title.”
An escalating back-and-forth
Additional communication between Ho and Letov may be present in a Notepad++ GitHub thread, the place Ho mentioned he had been contacted by Letov earlier than the Notepad++ for Mac app had launched, however that he hadn’t had time to answer.
“The issue is that utilizing the official title Notepad++ and its brand gives the look that your venture is an official macOS model maintained or endorsed by the Notepad++ staff, which isn’t the case,” wrote Ho in an e mail to Letov that he reposted to GitHub. “This create [sic] confusion for customers and exposes each you and the venture to trademark points.”
