Notepad++ is a free, open source application for writing text. A powerful editor full of options, Notepad++ is ideal for programming as well as normal text.
Notepad++ works with tabs, so it's very easy to work with multiple files open at the same time. Comparing texts is therefore very easy, and every line is numbered. Font size in Notepad++ can be increased simply by holding CTRL and the mouse wheel used to zoom in. Pressing F12 makes the current tab float above everything else in Windows.
For coding, Notepad++ recognizes many programming languages, and will automatically make something like HTML much easier to view by color coding the text. It also has an excellent find and replace tool. As a replacement for Window's Notepad, NotePad++ is incredible, because it has so many more features and abilities, while still being incredibly lightweight and stable.
NotePad++ is a functional application, but it won't win any prizes for looks, and many of the functions are only useful to programmers. However, anyone who writes text will find Notepad++ a useful tool, and much better than Windows Notepad.
NotePad++ has more features than you're ever likely to use, but is one of the best and most complete text editors available.
