Atom

Atom is a free, open-source text editor built on web technologies (Chromium and Node.js) and maintained by GitHub. It is designed for developers and supports syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and package management for dozens of programming languages. Atom's extensibility through community-developed packages makes it popular for customisation, though it is heavier on system resources than traditional editors. The app allows users to split panes, use a built-in terminal, integrate with version control, and collaborate in real-time via teletype.</description> <parameter name="recommendation">Atom has been discontinued and is no longer actively developed or supported by GitHub. The project was archived in 2022, and there is no native Apple Silicon build of the final release. Since Atom is no longer being updated and runs only under Rosetta 2 emulation on Apple Silicon Macs, it will stop launching entirely when Apple removes Rosetta in macOS 28 (September 2028). If you rely on Atom, you should begin migrating to a modern successor now. Visual Studio Code is the most direct replacement — it is actively maintained by Microsoft, runs natively on Apple Silicon, offers comparable extensions and customisation, and makes importing Atom settings and keybindings straightforward during setup. Other strong native alternatives include JetBrains' WebStorm or IntelliJ IDEA (for web and polyglot development), Sublime Text (lightweight and performant), or the free, lightweight Zed editor. All of these run natively on M-series Macs and will continue to work after Rosetta is retired.