> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Sick of AI Slop, Former Microsoft Engineer Built a New, AI-less Notepad - URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/tinyretropad-notepad-clone/ - Published: 2026-07-02T11:31:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-02T11:31:59.000Z - Description: A former Microsoft engineer who was behind Task Manager has built a fully working, 2.5KB Notepad clone that doesn't ship with slop. - Author: Sourav Rudra - Tags: News, AI Spotlight Microsoft has spent the last few years stuffing Notepad with AI tools, Markdown support, and cloud-tied credits, [chipping away](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9msmlrh6lzf3?ref=itsfoss.com) at the simple, local text editor it used to be. Basic editing still works without signing in, but the AI features don't. You need a Microsoft account just to check your remaining monthly AI credits. *That's a lot for an app whose only job used to be opening text files.* 🤷 [David Plummer](https://github.com/davepl?ref=itsfoss.com) (*Dave*), the ex-Microsoft engineer behind the original Windows [Task Manager](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task%5FManager%5F%28Windows%29?ref=itsfoss.com), just proved none of it was necessary. He has built [TinyRetroPad](https://github.com/PlummersSoftwareLLC/TinyRetroPad?ref=itsfoss.com), a fully working Notepad clone that fits in roughly **2.5KB**. ## No slop included ![tinyretropad, the notepad clone is shown here with some text added and the right-click context menu visible](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/07/tinyretropad-select-all-button.png) **Source:* [**David Plummer*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG91c7xsNMc&ref=itsfoss.com) Instead of writing a text editor from scratch, Dave just borrowed the one already sitting inside the operating system. This note-taking app works by wrapping `RICHEDIT50W`, a text-editing component that's been built into Windows for years. It's built with [MASM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft%5FMacro%5FAssembler?ref=itsfoss.com), an x86 assembler, then squeezed down further with [Crinkler](https://github.com/runestubbe/Crinkler?ref=itsfoss.com), a compressor made for tiny Windows executables. The generated output still carries a full Notepad-style menu bar, covering the familiar options like *File*, *Edit*, *Format*, *View*, and *Help*. You also get useful tools like *Find and Replace*, *Go To*, a font picker, word wrap, a status bar, and **working print support**. Also, at the risk of stating the obvious, there's no telemetry plumbing in here that's calling back home. ## Tracing its origin TinyRetroPad did not appear out of thin air; Dave built it on top of *Dave's Tiny Editor* (DTE), a tiny editor made by another developer that uses the same barebones approach. DTE, in turn, grew out of [tiny.asm](https://github.com/PlummersSoftwareLLC/HelloAssembly?ref=itsfoss.com) (*also known as HelloAssembly*), a project Dave wrote years earlier himself, extending someone else's take on his own idea. The whole codebase, however small it might be, lives on [GitHub](https://github.com/PlummersSoftwareLLC/TinyRetroPad?ref=itsfoss.com) under the **Apache 2.0 License**. Anyone can grab the code, poke at it, or shrink it down even further if they're feeling competitive. ## Old news for Linux users None of this is news if you use Linux. **GNOME Text Editor** ships as the default on GNOME, and **Kate** does the same on KDE. Neither needs an AI assistant or a cloud account to open a config file. **Geany** and **Sublime Text** (*not FOSS*) have been staples of the Linux editing ecosystem for years, and Notepad Next exists specifically for people who wanted [a Notepad++ alternative](https://itsfoss.com/notepad-alternatives-for-linux/) without going through Wine or an unofficial Snap package. What Dave has done here is hand the Windows crowd a reminder Linux users have been living with for a long time. A text editor's only job is to edit text, and every feature bolted on afterward is mostly ***bloat***. --- **Suggested Read 📖:** [*You Can Spend Up to $11,944 on Purism's Librem 16*](https://itsfoss.com/news/purism-librem-16/) [You Can Spend Up to $11,944 on Purism’s Librem 16 Linux LaptopThe laptop starts at $2,899 and scales up to an eye-watering $11,944 for a custom config.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-512x512-6c7e673d-192f-4438-bfff-9b736328b8aa.png)It's FOSSSourav Rudra![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/purism-librem-16-banner-4e47e3b0-32b7-4621-8c17-6b6d7b09ef78.png)](https://itsfoss.com/news/purism-librem-16/)