Chocolat

by Chocolatapp

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Current version0.0.52 Last release03/12/2011

One of the biggest advantages of coding on the Mac platform is the wide array of tools available for editing code and markup. Chocolat is one of the latest entrants into the race to see who can build the best Mac editor around. Released in alpha form in the summer of 2011, Chocolat is the indie rock band of editors. It's still relatively underground right now, but it's building considerable buzz amongst elite Mac developers in the know.

Features
A major selling point for Chocolat is its native support for the Cocoa API, though that's hardly the only reason developers should give it a shot. As a fairly recent addition to the Mac software universe, Chocolat is free of much of the bloat found in other editing programs. It's got split editing functionality, syntax and tag completion for every language dating back to Fortran, and a handy Jump To Definition feature that scans throughout your entire project tree.

Major Benefits and Drawbacks
Weighing in at 14.2 MB, Chocolat is roughly the same size as Sublime Text 2 in terms of disk space usage. It feels as lightweight and responsive as Sublime Text 2, albeit slightly less polished. The really cool thing about Chocolat is that it can import TextMate bundles, snippets, and themes seamlessly. The UI is also one of the cleanest and most elegant front-ends found on a text editor for any platform. The fact that it doesn't include every single feature known to man might be a drawback for some, but many users appreciate a program that practices some restraint with its design choices.

User Reviews
Due in large part to its “underground” reputation, you probably won't find a lot of buzz floating the web just yet. But many a coder at Ycombinator is already familiar with Chocolat's understated grace and power. The response has been positive to say the least. If the feedback from the community is any indication, Chocolat might just be the “next big thing” as far as text editors are concerned. Some are already calling it the heir to TextMate.

Final Thoughts
Text editing software is one area of development that's particularly tough to break into, thanks to the strong allegiances developers feel towards their tool of choice. If you can get coders to at least give your program a try, you've already accomplished a lot. Chocolat is one of those tools that's worth the benefit of the doubt. If nothing else, you'll be able to say you knew it before it got famous.