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Does anyone still use notepad++? I agree with the user and left it a long time ago. The settings are truly arcane and whenever I end up using notepad++ randomly

Does anyone still use notepad++? I agree with the user and left it a long time ago. The settings are truly arcane and whenever I end up using notepad++ randomly I just use google "notepad++ <setting> <change>" and rote follow a guide as opposed to attempt to learn that mess. (Not to mention command palettes have been useful for like 10+ years and going back to windows modal hell like its 2001 is just not fun) I would never send such an email though And the reply of "I'll refund you your nothing" is just as bad as the first email, but I guess if you don't make money, you're not a professional and don't have to act like it lol. Still comes across as a bad look, even if you're donating your time, you should be receptive to the user experience and a frustrated user is a useful datapoint for a good PM/dev.

N-Krause 4y ago
I think the point is not so much that the user is complaining, but the way the user is complaining. - Even more because it does not provide any helpful advice or idea. So no, even as a professional you're not obliged to handle such users. As others already have pointed out. If you have a problem with a free software (or any free product), but can't provide any value, just do not communicate.
- criley2 4y ago
  I disagree, as I mentioned elsewhere, the user made several helpful comments. It's not the users job to provide "ideas", that's for your product team (or you if you're alone). It's the users job to explain the UX and problems with it. This user mentioned what, 5 or 6 different parts of the user experience that suck? And mentioned alternative user experiences that are superior. I personally think the users email is raw and mean but still an extremely useful insight into the user experience with a lot of actionable stuff. I agree with the user. The programs settings, global overrides, styles, handling of user languages, etc are a nightmare for UX compared to modern products. A good developer takes this email and empathizes with the UX problems, even if they won't redesign anything. A bad/petty developer gets snarky and mean and insults the user.
  - laurent123456 4y ago
    > A good developer takes this email and empathizes with the UX problems, even if they won't redesign anything. A bad/petty developer gets snarky and mean and insults the user. Good developers aren't robots either. You get that kind of email, the best course of action is to delete it and move on. If it's a large enough project you'll get the same feedback sooner or later from other users anyway, and that will be users with whom you can (and want to) communicate with.
philliphaydon 4y ago
I would still use it if it worked on Linux. Notepadqq is buggy for me. But Notepad++ on Windows is pretty solid and I've never had issues with the settings.
RajT88 4y ago
NP++ is great. Daily user here. My takeaway here is I am not using enough of its feature set. Which I already knew. Occasionally I discover a feature that replaces scripts I have been using.
Ekaros 4y ago
I don't use it for development. But general scratch pad for throwaway text files and notes is pretty nice. And the editing options are good enough for my use case. For real stuff I use IDE like VS Code and like.
wrp 4y ago
My students won't use anything else, because it is probably the best free text editor on Windows. For me, configuration is exasperating and functionality has various areas of friction. I use a proprietary editor for my own work (EditPad Pro).

N-Krause 4y ago

I think the point is not so much that the user is complaining, but the way the user is complaining. - Even more because it does not provide any helpful advice or idea. So no, even as a professional you're not obliged to handle such users. As others already have pointed out. If you have a problem with a free software (or any free product), but can't provide any value, just do not communicate.

criley2 4y ago
I disagree, as I mentioned elsewhere, the user made several helpful comments. It's not the users job to provide "ideas", that's for your product team (or you if you're alone). It's the users job to explain the UX and problems with it. This user mentioned what, 5 or 6 different parts of the user experience that suck? And mentioned alternative user experiences that are superior. I personally think the users email is raw and mean but still an extremely useful insight into the user experience with a lot of actionable stuff. I agree with the user. The programs settings, global overrides, styles, handling of user languages, etc are a nightmare for UX compared to modern products. A good developer takes this email and empathizes with the UX problems, even if they won't redesign anything. A bad/petty developer gets snarky and mean and insults the user.
- laurent123456 4y ago
  > A good developer takes this email and empathizes with the UX problems, even if they won't redesign anything. A bad/petty developer gets snarky and mean and insults the user. Good developers aren't robots either. You get that kind of email, the best course of action is to delete it and move on. If it's a large enough project you'll get the same feedback sooner or later from other users anyway, and that will be users with whom you can (and want to) communicate with.

philliphaydon 4y ago

I would still use it if it worked on Linux. Notepadqq is buggy for me. But Notepad++ on Windows is pretty solid and I've never had issues with the settings.

RajT88 4y ago

NP++ is great. Daily user here. My takeaway here is I am not using enough of its feature set. Which I already knew. Occasionally I discover a feature that replaces scripts I have been using.

Ekaros 4y ago

I don't use it for development. But general scratch pad for throwaway text files and notes is pretty nice. And the editing options are good enough for my use case. For real stuff I use IDE like VS Code and like.

wrp 4y ago

My students won't use anything else, because it is probably the best free text editor on Windows. For me, configuration is exasperating and functionality has various areas of friction. I use a proprietary editor for my own work (EditPad Pro).