Alternatives to TextEdit?

Solution 1:

While it's command-line, pico is another option for those non familiar with vi/emacs.

Solution 2:

TextWrangler

I use it for all my note taking stuff, I find it fast and responsive. It also will intergrate nicely with a lot of other applications, such as Cyberduck which I use for FTP.

It's made by the same people who make BBEdit, but it's also a fair bit less complicated.

SubEthaEdit is probably a bit over complicated for what you're looking for.

myTexts is an application that I've been meaning to try. If other applications are too complicated, this just might do the trick - it looks promising!