An Excellent XML Editor for Ubuntu: XML Copy Editor!

When it comes to editing XML files under Ubuntu we can of course use the Gedit text editor. But if you deal with a lot of XML codes, then Gedit is not the kind of the app that's gonna fully satisfy you. Although we cannot blame Gedit since it's primary role is to act as a text editor but for the serious coders, it's just not enough.

In that case if you're looking for a dedicated, fully featured and powerful XML editor that can be used in Ubuntu Linux, then you should try the award winning utility called XML Copy Editor.

Main features...

*. Syntax highlighting.

*. Check for spellings and styles.

*. Show/Hide attributes.

*. Insert: Symbols, elements, entity, etc.

*. Wrap words, folding.

*. Enable/Disable element pane.

*. Find and replace.

*. Excellent dedicated "XML" printing (pretty-print): With, wrapped long lines and highlighted codes, etc.

*. Export the XML files to PDF.

*. Word count and enter commands.

*. Check for well-formedness.

*. Validation DTD, XML Schema, Relax NG, Schematron, etc... are just a few of its main features to mention.

You can install XML Copy Editor in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, 11.10, 10.10 and 10.04 by using the below command.

sudo apt-get install xmlcopyeditor

That should do it.

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How to Install GVIM (a powerful text editor) in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, 10.10 and 10.04?

GVIM is the graphical "implementation" of the command-line text editor (an IDE actually) called the Vim. Although may not certainly be as "connected" as with the GNU EMacs, but Vim text editor also has a quite long history with GNU/Linux thus it comes pre-installed by default in almost all the GNU/Linux distributions.

But for the obvious reason of not having a GUI, Vim (which is also based on another editor called "Vi") is not that popular among the typical GNU/Linux users but other advanced boys and gals such as system administrators still use it quite often since it allows us to edit any text (+ editing programming language code files) file without having to log-into a graphical user interface to this day nonetheless.

In short, it a GUI written using the GTK+ tool-kit (aimed at Gnome desktop, but you can use it in any desktop you want), but since it uses the Vim as the "engine", you'll be getting almost all of its features in a very user-friendly graphical environment!.

Main features...

*. Change font (size, bold, italic, etc).

*. Find and replace.

*. Undo/Redo.

*. Automatic spell checking.

*. Open multiple windows by splitting the window by horizontal or vertically.

*. A "file explorer" of its own which lets you locate and load files to the window for editing.

The "command-line" type, file explorer to the left...

*. Line numbering support.

*. Text wrap.

*. Send to print... are among the features that interests the standard users.

As mentioned, Vim is actually a programmer friendly text editor, thus GVIM also lets you do other things like Syntax editing, set compilers, "Make" files (compiling), etc which are again, not that useful for the usual users.

You can install GVIM in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, 10.10 and 10.04 by using the below command in your Terminal window.

sudo apt-get install vim-gtk

But, just like with GNU/Emacs, this is not for everyone. For instance, if you enter its settings window, then almost all the settings are activated using commands! rather than graphical tools.

But still, if you usually deal with a lot of Syntax editing or HTML/XML editing... then GVIM is a fast and feature-rich front-end to the original Vim "engine" nonetheless.

But as a final verdict, in my humble opinion, if you're looking for something to replace the Gedit type text editor for instance, then you should have a look at something like the Leafpad or Mousepad or even the awesome FocusWriter will certainly suite rather than the GVIM. 

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How to Install Scribes (awesome Text Writer!) in Ubuntu?

I've used reasonable amount of text editors under GNU/Linux and I gotta tell you, there are few that were quite unique and made some impressive impressions on me :) which you don't see that often.

In that sense, Scribes not is only an awesome text editor but it also has a very unique GUI + a notification system that's quite a pleasure to work with. As said, this is not the "usual" text editor's behavior that you get from the "others" :).

It has no menus whatsoever, so the main window looks pretty clean and hassle free which really helps when it comes to typing stuff. As you can see in the below screenshot, if you want to make it's tool-bar visible, then you just gotta move your mouse hover over the right-edge of the Scribes window (the "Red" area, also known as the "trigger area"), then it'll reveal the tool-bar which I think is pretty cool :D.

And whenever, say while saving your text automatically or doing changes, it'll display then as notifications which are shown in the bottom section of the window too.

With the tool-bar "on", btw, you can also change the location of this "trigger area" as well..

Although this will depend on the personal taste, but usually a lot of people just hate "notifications" (at least I am) because they're almost always so distracting and pain in the a*$. But in my experience, while using Scribes, not only those notifications are useful (since they give you live info on what's going on, etc) but the developer have done an excellent job of making sure that they don't distract you!.

Main features...

*. Change text font and size, bold/italic, etc.

*. Enable/disable spell checking.

*. Jump to paragraphs.

*. Supports a huge list of file types (such as XML, HTML, Java, C#, C/C++, etc). All you gotta do is just load the appropriate "template", this heavily helps it to "understand" the file thus letting you edit it without breaking any codes (obviously). So it's kinda of a programmer's tool too.

*. Change themes.

*. Search, search and replace. 

*. Built in printing support.

*. Undo/Redo.

*. Plug-in support (by using plug-ins/add-ons, you can easily expand its features. For instance, I heard that there's a separate plug-in that adds a side-bar, etc).

*. Simple yet totally non-distractive notifications.

*. Indentation... are just a few to mention.

But remember, Scribes is actually designed to act as a hassle free text writing app (excellent one!) rather than an editor. For instance, if you usually want to make text bold/italic or change its font, yes, you can do that. But since it doesn't have a menu or those functions are not in the tool-bar, I think you this will not be the most efficiency one for that sort an activity.

So will this be able to replace the "usual" text editors such as Leafpad, Mousepad, etc. The simple answer in my opinion is: NO!. It won't because that's not its purpose. 

Anyhow, you can install Scribes in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, 10.10 and 10.04 by using its PPA rather than the Ubuntu repositories which are according to the developer, are "old and broken". So put the below commands in your Terminal window to install it, as usual.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mystilleef/scribes-daily

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install scribes

So, if you want a minimalistic text writer rather than an editor with as little distractions as possible, (still retaining a beautifully designed, efficient GUI of course) ... then Scribes is one heck of an app!. Enjoy.

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How to Install Geany (text editor & a basic IDE) in Ubuntu?

If you're looking for a powerful, features rich text editor, then Geany is an excellent application. Yes it's a text editor, but after installing it and seeing its features + according to her developers, it's actually more than just a text editor. It's a basic IDE (integrated develop environment) that can be used to edit/create and compile programming codes, so it's more of an "editor" for programmers.

But because it requires very little space (about 2MB of downloading size!) and has a lot of features aimed at editing text entries... if you're looking for a powerful text editor, then heck ya!, give Geany a try... because she deserves it! :).

Main features...

*. Change font size, type, etc.

*. Wrap text.

*. Show/Hide line numbers.

*. Find, find and replace.

*. HTML/XML tag auto-closing.

*. Word count  (one of my favorite features).

*. Add/Remove comments.

*. Zoom in-out, full screen view.

*. Supports plugins.

*. Date/Time insert... are just a fraction of its features to mention.

Although as said, it has a lot other programmer related functions such as compile, make, command-line output, execute, set file-type according to your programming language (C/C++, Java, Pascal, Fortran...), etc type features but since it's beyond the scope of this post and since I ain't a programmer, it's best to stick with what I know :D.

It has heck of a "preferences" window... :)

Anyhow, you can install Geany in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, 10.10 and 10.04 (perhaps in other older versions too) by using the below command.

sudo apt-get install geany

It will be available via the "Programming" sub menu in Main applications menu in Gnome classic or just press "Alt" + "F2" and put the below command into the box and press enter.

geany

That's it. But as you can see, if you're a professional writer who's looking for a hassle-free professional text editor, then I think you'd better end-up with something like the Pyroom (awesome) or Focus writer. Either way, it's your choice mate!. Good luck :). 

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How to Install Editra (text editor for programmers!) in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal?

If you're a bit new to programming then you'd find that the "usual text editor" is an almost useless tool for computer programmers because most of the time they lack certain features such as syntax highlighting, code folding or code/symbols inserting, etc.

Although when it comes to being one of the best code editors for GNU/Linux nothing beats the GNU-Emacs!. But unless you're a bit familiar with its GUI and certain features are implemented as commands, etc then if you're looking for something that's more simple + less frighting ;-) then Editra is a pretty good one.

As with Emacs, Editra (written in Python) can also be used as a text editor as well but it's mainly aimed at programmers nonetheless.

Main features...

*. Auto completion support for languages such as XML, Python and HTML.

*. Change font and size.

*. Style editor.

*. Syntax highlighting for more than 60 programming languages.

*. FTP/remove file editing support.

*. Code folding.

*. Auto indent.

*. Save in according to your language container format.

*. Find and replace.

*. Zoom in and Zoom-out.

*. Plug-in support.

*. "Preference" window for additional settings editing.

*. HTML, LaTex and RTF generator (exporter).

*. Line edit.

*. Word wrap and Redo/Undo are just a very little of its main features to mention.

You can install Editra in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, 10.10 and 10.04 by using the below command in your Terminal window.

sudo apt-get install editra

As said we can use it as a text editor but clearly we're not the targeted audience it seems. But if you're a programmer who's looking for a powerful yet a simple looking code editor, then Editra is an excellent little application.

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How to Install GNU Emacs in Ubuntu Linux ? (11.04, 10.10, 10.04, etc)

GNU Emacs is one of the most "colorful" parts of the GNU/Linux operating system. In fact it's actually quite older than the GNU/Linux itself (introduced around 1970s) and the one who invented Emacs is the philosopher and the founding father of the "GNU way of doing things" ... Richard Stallman. 

So what is Emacs anyway?

Emacs is mainly a very powerful real time (meaning that as soon as you make the changes to the text it appears on its window which is the most basic and a must have standard for all modern text editors anyway) text editor.

But basically the reason for it's not installed by default even after it having a "such a history" and powerful features as a text editor is because it's actually aimed at computer programmers (especially the Emacs Lisp programming fork of the original Lisp) and advanced users rather than the "usual users" (like you and me) + according to the official GNU/Emacs page, at its core lies the GNU Emacs Lisp interpretor "engine".

So it's basically a programmer's heaven, in a way :).

I ain't your "average text editor" mate! :)... (not kidding though)

But that's not to say that you can't use it as an advanced text editor, in fact it's actually one of the most powerful ones out there as well. To show you how old it is... it's current version is 23!.

Main features...

*. Editing a pure text file to HTML and source-codes such as Ruby, XML and A lot more (+ even has the ability to read PDF and postscript files!).

*. Change font.

*. Change background and foreground colors.

*. Line wrapping (wrapping long lines, etc).

*. Show/Hide text line numbers.

*. Supports almost all human languages and scripts! ("one love ... one heart... let's get together ..." ;-) )

*. Find and replace text.

*. Open and save in different formats.

*. Check for spellings.

*. Use a new or switch to a different buffer (a temporary location on your RAM where the text file is located before saving into the HDD).

*. Compile using the above mentioned Emacs Lisp interpretor, etc.

*. This might sound a bit confusing but it also has a calender of its own!, a calculator, programmable calculator, and also the ability to send/receive e-mails (using other apps, built in support via add-ons), read news, project planner, etc + even has some built in Games too!. 

The reason for this, is because: some programmers spend most of their time "inside" the Emacs app rather than doing any other thing thus Emacs is designed to act as a bit of a separate "environment" of its own + that's also why most of 'em they're single :D.

*. Encrypt and Decrypt (chosen text or an entire region, etc).

*. Version control system integration.

*. Execute shell commands. 

*. Debugger ... are just a fraction of its main features to mention!.

So as you can see this is not yours or mine's average text editor because the default GUI and it's filled without options certainly looks a bit complicated for the usual users. So it's certainly more than a text editor. That's why the desktops have created text editors of their own as well :).

Anyhow, you can install this legendary GNU Emacs in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, 10.10 and 10.04 (including all other Ubuntu versions!) by using the below command in your Terminal window.

sudo apt-get install emacs

Currently it has like 23MB or more in size... so be patient while it installs. Enjoy! (or you many not this time :D).

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Notepad++ - A GNU Licensed, Source Code Editor for MS Windows

If you're a computer programmer then having a fully featured source code editor is a must. Although all the IDE (Integrated Development Environment, heck, like you didn't know that :P) suits come with ones of their own yet if you use MS Windows while creating your programs, then Notepad++ is a pretty powerful utility nonetheless.

One other important thing about Notepad++ is that it uses less system resources still giving you the ability to edit a program with a larger source code. I'm not a programmer (although I've played very little with C/C++ in the past, well I just created a "hello world" :/) so other than using it for those type of purposes, I find Notepad++ is extremely helpful while editing XML files, which I usually have to do since I'm a bit of a nerdy blogger :P.

Main features...

*. It's a shame than it's a GNU licensed program yet only support MS Windows. No GNU/Linux support.

*. Written in C++ and as mentioned above uses a very little system resources.

*. Plugin support (by using which you can expand its features such as adding automatic spell checking, export the source code to RTF/HTML, etc).

*. Supports a lot of different computer languages such as C, Objective C, Assembly, Shell, SQL, etc.

*. Search and replace.

*. Auto completion of codes (pretty handy since you don't always have to retype the codes again and again).

*. Macro recorder support (playback, start recording, save, etc).

*. TextFX support.

These are just a very few to mention. But as said before, even if you aren't a programmer you can still use this as a powerful text editor ... but since the GUI is loaded with features, it can be a bit confusing for the everyday users, I think (including me:)).

Anyhow, for all ya MS Windows programming geeks, you can get the latest version of Notepad++ from this download page. Oh yeah, it's FREE!.

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How To Install JRE in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal!

I'm not a programmer but as an everyday computer user, having a basic understanding about popular programming languages such as C++ or Java (in this instance), etc is pretty handy. Because, say that if while browsing the web you came up with a website and to get their service you had to have installed Java Runtime Environment also known as JRE.

But if you haven't heard about it before... then you'd think, what the heck is that? and would feel reluctant. Anyway, as most of you know, Java is one of the most heavily used programing languages around the world. Nokia even has an entire operating system that's designed by it. So it's a kind of a big thing.

Official Logo...

OK Gayan, cut the cra*... why do I need JRE installed??

Well as I said before, if you want to run a program that is designed by Java programing language in your PC then you have to have installed JRE, without it, your PC has no idea how to "execute" that program. To make things worse... some of the websites are also heavily depend on these JRE web browser related libraries thus having it installed is a must. It's like having Adobe flash installed to watch YouTube videos.

So if you have installed Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Nalwhal, then there are basically two main ways that you can install JRE. First method is by using the Canonical partner repository or by using the PPA channel. I'm gonna tell you how to do it using the Canonical partner repository because it feels bit safer (no disrespect intended for the PPA developers).

1. Go to: "Power Button" (from the right top corner of your screen) -> "System Settings" -> "System" -> "Ubuntu Software Center".

2. Once inside of the Ubuntu software center, go to: "Edit" -> "Software Sources".... now you have to choose both of the repositories which says "Canonical Partners" and "Canonical Partners (Source Code).

Now open your Terminal and issue the below command to install JRE in Ubuntu 11.04!.

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts

You'll have to accept their "agreement" when asked and finally click "OK"... and you're done. To make sure everything went well, put the below command in you Terminal and it should give an output like the one below screenshot (numbers/names will change according to the current version).

sudo java -version  

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