Notepad++ Mac Port Renamed Nextpad++ After Trademark Row

[MacRumors]

Following last month's coverage of an unofficial Mac port of Notepad++ that the original developer called out for trademark violation, the dispute has now been resolved with a rebrand.

The macOS port was previously released by Andrey Letov under the Notepad++ name without authorization. Don Ho created the original Windows code editor in 2003, and had publicly objected to the unofficial app's use of his trademark and the inclusion of his name and biography on its author page. After settling the dispute, the app has subsequently been renamed Nextpad++.

The site for Nextpad++ has been thoroughly updated and clearly states that the app is an "open-source and independent community port of Notepad++ to macOS." Elsewhere, Letov's About page describes the project as a Mac port of the Notepad++ GPL codebase, built on Objective-C++, Scintilla, and Cocoa, and shipped as a universal binary for Apple silicon and Intel Macs. The app also has a new icon.

Names aside, it seems Daring Fireball's John Gruber is less than charmed by the result, describing the app as feeling "unholy" and suggesting the rapid port could only have been built with AI vibe-coding tools. The site states development began on March 10.

Have you tried out Nextpad++ for Mac? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Notepad++ Mac Port Renamed Nextpad++ After Trademark Row

 

[turbineseaplane]

I think I'll be skipping this.

I'm not a fan of anything about how these folks went about this.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

I think I'll be skipping this.

I'm not a fan of anything about how these folks went about this.

Because someone protected his trademark?

 

[b.inazawa-fan]

That is the weirdest looking Mac app I've seen in years.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Gruber makes some excellent points. He doesn't call it this, but the application is what amounts to a transliteration of Notepad++. That comes from an inexperienced developer using LLM coding tools. It's a start.

Everything Gruber criticizes it for can be fixed, however. It's open source so interested people can help make it better. There are already some people doing that.

Edit: I'll stick with VS Code. It's not lightweight, but it's solid.

 

[ASentientBot]

yuck. i guess the most native-feeling mac editor (aside from Xcode) will continue to be TextMate

 

[dimon2242]

Gruber makes some excellent points. He doesn't call it this, but the application is what amounts to a transliteration of Notepad++. That comes from an inexperienced developer using LLM coding tools. It's a start.

Everything Gruber criticizes it for can be fixed, however. It's open source so interested people can help make it better.

Yea, fix vibecoder masterpiece 😅

 

[turbineseaplane]

Because someone protected his trademark?

I'm talking about the other party.

I fully support the folks protecting their trademark.

 

[bg1419]

This is just DF-regurgitation. I love Gruber but MR doesn’t need to write a copycat story for everything he posts. There’s no way this would’ve been covered here if it weren’t for his post about it

 

[CheesePuff]

describing the app as feeling "unholy" and suggesting the rapid port could only have been built with AI vibe-coding tools.

I mean it doesn't take a genius to see that all of the commits were done by Claude Code, since you know it literally says that is the author

 

[BeatsByTim]

Should have called it "FartPad++". Because it STINKS!

 

[turbineseaplane]

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I'm absolutely repelled by Mac Apps that don't look like Mac Apps.

That screenshot looks like some shareware Windows garbage.
🤮

 

[NMBob]

I'll stick with Notepad--, thanks.

 

[maflynn]

Not a good look for this port, I'll largely skip this, I don't see any advantages, especially if it has that vibe coding feel

 

[B4U]

So, the name change is just 1 letter and then rearranged the rest? 🧐
N o t e vs N e x t
They cannot even come up with a more original name? 🤣
I mean, what is the need of keeping the ++ part?

Did they learn anything from this?

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[turbineseaplane]

So, the name change is just 1 letter and then rearranged the rest?
N o t e vs N e x t
They cannot even come up with a more original name?

Probably vibe coded the App and the "new" name.

 

[sonic84]

This is a win if NotePad++ was the "one app" keeping some folks tied to a Windows platform.

 

[lepetitnicolas]

Peace and love. They should stop fighting and join forces to give the world the best notepad ever on all devices : NEXTNOTEPAD++++

 

[tkermit]

yuck. i guess the most native-feeling mac editor (aside from Xcode) will continue to be TextMate

Pretty sure I'll be using BBEdit until the day I die or switch to Linux. Whichever comes first.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Pretty sure I'll be using BBEdit until the day I die or switch to Linux. Whichever comes first.

Some days on Tahoe I wonder if the Linux thing will be in my future also. 😂

 

[Stetrain]

This is just DF-regurgitation. I love Gruber but MR doesn’t need to write a copycat story for everything he posts. There’s no way this would’ve been covered here if it weren’t for his post about it

They've been covering it well before Gruber's post:

Notepad++ Code Editor Comes to Mac After 20-Year Wait [Updated]

The popular Notepad++ coding editor is now available as a native macOS app, following an unofficial open-source community port of the original Windows codebase. The Notepad replacement runs as a universal binary, so it works on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Notepad++ has been one of the...

www.macrumors.com

Notepad++ Creator Calls Out 'Fake' Mac App Over Trademark Violation

Notepad++ creator Don Ho said the macOS version of the popular Windows code editor is fake and using the Notepad++ trademark without permission. The unofficial Notepad++ app for macOS In a blog post, Ho said the macOS app is "not authorized, not endorsed, and not affiliated with" the official...

www.macrumors.com

They had to update their first article since originally it suggested this was an official Notepad++ release.

 

[con2apple]

So, the name change is just 1 letter and then rearranged the rest? 🧐
N o t e vs N e x t
They cannot even come up with a more original name? 🤣
I mean, what is the need of keeping the ++ part?

Did they learn anything from this?

Apple Wins EU Challenge Over Keyboard Maker's Citrus Logo

Apple objected to a European trademark filing from a Chinese keyboard maker because the logo the company wanted to use was too close to Apple's own logo. The EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) partially refused to grant a European Union Trade Mark after Apple opposed the filing. The...

www.macrumors.com

Apple is the world’s largest and most valuable brand. Everyone knows the name.
Notepad++… the average user wonders why someone put two plus signs after the Windows app name. „What does that mean?“

So yes, it was a trademark infringement. But there is a certain difference between Notepad++ and Apple.

 

[Ethosik]

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I'm absolutely repelled by Mac Apps that don't look like Mac Apps.

That screenshot looks like some shareware Windows garbage.
🤮

Precisely why I’m not a fan of Windows apps UI. FileZilla vs Transmit for example.

 

[maflynn]

Transmit for example

Transmit is one of those apps that looks good, and works well. I have no problems paying a developer for work like that.

 

[Ethosik]

Transmit is one of those apps that looks good, and works well. I have no problems paying a developer for work like that.

An old example before Git became the standard for everything. I used TortoiseSVN on Windows and Versions on Mac.