Notepad++ creator denies official Mac release
▼ Summary
– Notepad++, a Windows-exclusive text editor created by Don Ho in 2003, has no official macOS version.
– Ho stated that a third-party “Notepad++ for Mac” port uses the Notepad++ trademark without permission.
– Ho called the port misleading and disrespectful, noting it has fooled users and tech media into thinking it is official.
– Ho previously received contact from the port’s author, Andrey Letov, but did not have time to reply before the app launched.
– Ho warned Letov that using the Notepad++ name and logo creates confusion and exposes both parties to trademark issues.
The long-running text editor Notepad++ has never officially supported macOS, despite recent rumors suggesting otherwise. Originally launched in 2003 by developer Don Ho, the application was built as an enhanced alternative to Windows Notepad, offering features like line numbering and syntax highlighting. From its earliest days, it has remained a Windows-exclusive tool; older versions still run on Windows 95, while the latest builds support systems back to Windows 7.
I don’t use Notepad++ regularly, but I know its history well enough to be startled last week when headlines claimed a “Notepad++ for Mac” port had arrived, seemingly hosted on the official Notepad++ site.
As it turns out, Ho was equally surprised. He states that the Mac version, created by developer Andrey Letov, is “using the Notepad++ trademark (the name) without permission.”
“This is misleading, inappropriate, and frankly disrespectful to both the project and its users,” Ho wrote. “It has already fooled people,including tech media,into believing this is an official release. To be crystal clear: Notepad++ has never released a macOS version. Anyone claiming otherwise is simply riding on the Notepad++ name.”
A dispute escalates
The exchange between Ho and Letov continued in a Notepad++ GitHub thread, where Ho noted that Letov had contacted him before launching the Mac app, but that he hadn’t found time to respond.
“The problem is that using the official name Notepad++ and its logo gives the impression that your project is an official macOS version maintained or endorsed by the Notepad++ team, which is not the case,” Ho wrote in an email to Letov, later reposted to GitHub. “This create [sic] confusion for users and exposes both you and the project to trademark issues.”
(Source: Ars Technica)
