The main goal of Notepad2 is to provide a notepad application that’s as streamlined and efficient as Notepad, the default text editor application of Windows.

This more contemporary take on Notepad immediately impresses thanks to its syntactical colouring, making for a much easier time of things when it comes to working on its code thanks to the defined colourisation of various tags and code elements.In a more general sense, Notepad2 is an improved version of Notepad which, instantly upon its release back in 2004, offered a free-to-use and simple text editor for those looking to make straightforward file modifications or develop complete software. Even if Notepad2 seems “small”, it’s still incredibly effective.

A free text editor for Windows

Those who are familiar with the term “open-source” will understand we’re dealing with free software here, with the freedom for you to modify the internal code as all relevant software sources are available via open access. However, Notepad2 is available under the BSD license and is therefore not under the GPL.

Under the GPL (General Public License), you are obliged to disclose the source code that you have chosen to modify. What’s more, it isn’t possible for you to sub-license any creation by adding new terms to the original license.

On the other hand – and this applies to the entire family of BSD licenses – nothing obliges you to explicitly indicate the modifications you have made to the original source code. The BSD license is therefore the most permissive variant out there, allowing Notepad2 to be free and modifiable at will to all experienced users.