Notepad++ is a free (as in "free speech" and also as in "free beer") source code editor and Notepad replacement (https://npp-user-manual.org/docs/other-resources/#notepad-replacement) that supports several programming languages and natural languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL (GNU General Public License).
The company I worked for used JEXT (another open source code editor in Java) as the production tool. Due to its poor performance, I began an investigation to find another solution (in C++ instead of in Java) in September 2003. I found Scintilla and built a prototype. This solution was not accepted. I removed the specific part and continued to develop it in my leisure time. On the 25th November 2003 it was made available on Sourceforge, hence the birth of Notepad++.
