Don Ho warns that notepad-plus-plus-mac.org is unauthorized, uses the Notepad++ trademark and his name without permission, and has already fooled tech media.
Key Takeaways
The site notepad-plus-plus-mac.org is not affiliated with the Notepad++ project in any way; no official macOS version has ever been released.
The operator placed Don Ho’s name and biography on the site to manufacture legitimacy.
Don Ho has contacted the site owner and is awaiting a reply; users are asked to flag posts promoting the fake release on Reddit, Twitter, Discord, and elsewhere.
Notepad++ has a history of being a high-value target: a prior incident involved hijacked hosting infrastructure used to deliver malware to specific users.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters flagged that the port’s author, Andrey Letov, had zero prior commit history before this release and behaved evasively in the GitHub issue thread, raising malware and supply-chain risk concerns similar to the xz/Jia Tan pattern.
Consensus is that the fix is simple: rename the project (suggestions include MacPad++ or Objective-Notepad), drop the logo, and Don Ho had already signaled openness to a legitimate community port.
Several users who installed the app after seeing it covered on HN and MacRumors expressed frustration; the episode highlights how tech media amplifying unofficial releases creates real security exposure.
Notable Comments
@yokoprime: “The author… has absolutely zero commits anywhere before he suddenly vibes up this mac release” and flags likely malware risk.
@f3408fh: Installed it after HN and MacRumors coverage; calls out MacRumors for endorsing the fake release without verification.
