Final week, it seemed like Home windows-based textual content editor NotePad++ had lastly arrived on macOS. Nevertheless it seems the Mac model is an unauthorized copy of the unique.
The developer of NotePad++, Don Ho, goes out of his option to slam the Mac version with a put up titled “Trademark Violation: Faux Notepad++ for Mac.”
A software program engineer in New York named Andrey Letov is behind the Mac app, which relies on the free and open-source NotePad++. The issue is that Letov additionally initially referred to as his model “Notepad++ for Mac,” and even used the enduring chameleon emblem.
(Credit score: Web Archive)
Though Letov’s web site described his creation as an “unbiased neighborhood port” that had no affiliation with Ho, the excellence was apparently misplaced as a number of Reddit posts started to tout the Mac model, together with one which stated: “Notepad++ Code Editor Involves Mac After 20-12 months Wait.”
The eye prompted Ho, who doesn’t personal a Mac, to reply. “This web site has completely nothing to do with Notepad++,” he wrote. “It’s not licensed, not endorsed, and never affiliated with the challenge in any method.”
Ho took challenge with Letov not just for utilizing the NotePad++ emblem but additionally for putting his title on the creator web page for the Mac model. (The picture of Ho additionally exhibits him lined with an alien facehugger.)
(Credit score: Don Ho)
Ho wrote: “That is deceptive, inappropriate, and albeit disrespectful to each the challenge and its customers. It has already fooled folks—together with tech media—into believing that is an official launch.”
In a GitHub thread in regards to the challenge, Letov indicated he meant no disrespect to Ho, who’s been growing NotePad++ since 2003. “Once I put Don on the authors web page I by no means in my life had any intention to say that he was concerned. It really says that he wasn’t however I needed to provide Don all credit score for creating [the] authentic model, which [the] Mac model was constructed on,” Letov wrote.
In response, Ho wrote: “I respect your good intention. Nevertheless, you do not want to make use of Notepad++ model to advertise your product with the intention to attain your purpose. As I stated, I am completely happy to see Mac customers profit from the Notepad++ code base. The issue is just not [the] port or fork —the GPL (Basic Public License) permits you to take action. The issue is that utilizing the title ‘Notepad++’ on your product and challenge could be very complicated. A small variety of customers are vigilant and browse your web site to study the historical past.”
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Letov requested for 2 weeks to arrange for a reputation change. However Ho responded: “I’ve reported your unauthorized use of the Notepad++ trademark to your CDN supplier Cloudflare. From my perspective, your web site behaves [as] an impersonation/phishing web site as a result of it misleads customers into believing your product is the official Notepad++ launch.”
(Credit score: notepad-plus-plus-mac.org)
Within the face of some backlash from different builders, Letov added: “I am not siphoning any legitimacy. I did plenty of work to convey it free to Mac with solely intent to broaden Notepad++ model and permit Mac customers to search out Mac model simpler.” The positioning for his model has since been modified to make use of the title Nextpad++ for Mac. The emblem has additionally been changed with a frog.
For now, Letov’s web site continues to be utilizing the “notepad-plus-plus-mac.org” area, which Ho requested to be modified. However Letov’s web site notes: “The area shall be altering tomorrow to nextpad.org.”
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