Member Avatar for Hardik_23

I often need to compare different versions of documentation, website content, configuration snippets, and notes. Git works great for source code, but for plain text I sometimes find it more convenient to use a dedicated comparison tool.

I'm interested in learning what other developers use for this workflow. Do you rely on editor features, standalone applications, or browser-based tools?

Recently I came across a tool called Text Differ that focuses on comparing two blocks of text and highlighting the changes. It made me wonder what approaches others prefer and which features are most important when reviewing text revisions.

What does your workflow look like?

Edited by Hardik_23
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Member Avatar for pritaeas

I've found Beyond Compare a long time ago, and stuck with it since. It's well worth the price. I use it for folder (and their contents) comparison but mostly for solving merge conflicts. Their three-way merge is exceptional.

commented: Solid choice +17
Member Avatar for Salem

An online tool just to do diff?

More so, a website that won't let me read it's privacy policy without disabling my ad-blocker.

That just seems like a privacy disaster waiting to happen.

Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

Solid choice

Back when we first got PCs in the control centre we ran them all on on OS/2 (hands down better than Windows) and I used PMDiff. It was part of a free suite of OS/2 apps that included PMMail, among others. WinMerge is so similar to PMDiff that I suspect it is a fork.

<edit> it turns out that WinMerge was influenced by PMDiff and is basically PMDiff reverse-engineered.

Edited by Reverend Jim
Member Avatar for SCBWV

Back in the late 90s(98?) Microsoft published a program called WinDiff that can compare files or directories. I still use it occasionally.

Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

I remember WinDiff from many years ago. If I recall correctly it was a typical Microsoft app, which means it was clumsy to use.

commented: It's not the most intuitive program, but it does have some good features. +9
Member Avatar for The Old Man

Okay for me Winmerge
is fine

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