Straight from me!

When writing web code, wether in php, javascript, or classic html, people like to use code editor software to make sure their syntax is correct and be able to manipulate and preview their changes with ease. Personally I just notepad (win) or text editor (os x) usually for editing websites but if I need a code editor I turn to my copy of dreamweaver. In this economy however most enthusiasts don’t have the money throw away for an expense editor like Dreamweaver. As a result if you are looking for a free code editor try one of the following:

Nvu
Uses Mozilla Gecko as its rendering image and as a result displays the same it will look in Firefox. Nvu also includes cool features like a built in ftp editor, site editor, and awesome css editor.

License GPL, cost Free. Platforms Win | Mac | Linux

Amaya
A website editor released by w3c, you can expect it focus on web coding standards. This lacks ftp support unlike Nvu though but includes a web browser view option.

License: W3C, cost free. Platforms Win | Mac | Linux

Bluefish Editor
One of the only editors for linux, Bluefish editor is a fast stable editor and if your on linux you can’t go wrong with this choice. It sates on its site it can open up to 500+ simultaneous documents.

License: GPL, cost free. Platforms Mac | Linux | (Windows with CYGWIN)

Aptana Studio
A great robust editor for creating web application with support for JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, and PHP development. It also has great Ajax, DOM, HTML and CSS support and plug-ins for Adobe AIR and Apple iPhone development.

License: Closed Source Cost Free. Win | Mac OSX 10.4+ | Linux (with GTK)