1992 founded Standing
editors · barebones.com
BBEdit
the moat is real
34 years 130 days and counting
Rich Siegel, 1992. 'It doesn't suck' was the slogan. It still does not.
Why it lasted
- Bare Bones never tried to become an IDE platform. It stayed a text editor that is extremely good at text.
- Mac users who started in System 7 still have muscle memory and a license that keeps working.
- Grep across a folder is a feature you can ship for 30 years.
Times it almost ended
- TextMate, Sublime, VS Code: each one was the new Mac editor. BBEdit kept the people who wanted BBEdit.
What would finish it
- Apple shipping a truly good built-in editor and Bare Bones retiring. Neither has happened.
Questions
Is BBEdit still up?
Yes, with a Standing verdict: the moat is real. Founded 1992.
How long has BBEdit been around?
BBEdit has been up since 1992-04-12.
Why did BBEdit survive?
Bare Bones never tried to become an IDE platform. It stayed a text editor that is extremely good at text.
Could BBEdit still die?
Apple shipping a truly good built-in editor and Bare Bones retiring. Neither has happened.