Windows version of TextMate: Intype

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Jan 6

Windows version of TextMate: Intype

PHP, Programming, Software, Web Development 4 Comments »

The very first alpha public version of Intype has been released for testing. The developers are looking for feedback on this release - but do keep in mind it is the very first release. If you've ever used an editor or IDE in Windows, you will probably wonder what's so special about something like this...there seem to be no features!

Intype was designed to allow for actions similar to those found in TextMate, a very popular Mac OSX application. TextMate is very popular because of its way of automating a lot of repetitious tasks in code work. For instance, a standard HTML file has a pretty long, and pretty consistent portion of text before you actually get to the BODY. Typing
Automating tasks to save time and increase potential work flow is worth it to many, many people. There have been many attempts to create a TextMate equivalent for Windows. Most of those projects died out long ago. Visit their project website to take a look at their screencasts and read up on it. If it still interests you, take it for a spin and try to help out the developers on their tasks.

Note: Intype will be a retail software package when it is announced as a final build.

Update: Michael Boutros has created a demo of this alpha version which you can watch here.

Posted by Brendon Kozlowski

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James says:
01/06/2007 04:57:42 PM
Is it made by the same people that make TextMate?
Brendon Kozlowski says:
01/06/2007 07:27:30 PM
No, the author/developer refuses to port TextMate to Windows, or any other operating system. He has a couple reasons, mostly just that it wasn't developed in a language that's easily ported to other systems and that if he wants to make it the best possible text editor for Macintosh, he needs to be able to use Mac-specific features. To a lesser extent, he wants to promote the Macintosh operating system and if he's able to force some people to switch to Mac OSX for the sheer fact of using his program, he'd feel happier about it.

So, no...it's made by a handful of developers who wanted to try their hand at it. They're based in various places and their first language is not English, but they seem to be doing a good job none-the-less. A big problem with this release that should be noted, is that people who hadn't previously heard of this might expect it to be more than what it is...but the people who have been following its progress and purpose really were anxious to have a chance to play with it, so they released an alpha build for testing.
Geoff says:
01/15/2007 04:16:53 AM
If you're interested in TextMate on Windows, try e (http://www.e-texteditor.com). Not only does it run TextMate bundles and use its themes, but it has a really cool undo and revision control system. Good stuff!

Oh, and the author of TextMate has given the project his blessing: http://macromates.com/blog/archives/2006/11/21/textmate-homage/
Brendon says:
01/19/2007 01:55:40 PM
Hi Geoff! Thanks for commenting! I have heard of e, but as silly as it is I'm not too pleased at the GUI interface. In comparison, Intype is a bit more satisfying to the eye. If I have to stare at something for most of the day, I guess I'd just prefer a smoother looking window appearance. Regardless, I'm not going to push either of these aside (or choose one, if I even do) until they're both mature enough to warrant a true decision. I'll still use my trusty handy-dandy Crimson Editor for now. Thanks again!