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Bless

github.com

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Spec score 7.9 #9 of 32 in Hex Editors

What it is

Bless is a free binary editor for editing files as sequences of bytes. It supports multilevel undo and redo, customizable data views, multiple tabs, and fast find and replace. The project highlights efficient handling of large data files and raw disk editing, with search and save operations running in multiple threads. Bless exports to text and HTML, while plugins can add other export formats and extend the editor. It is written in C# with Gtk# bindings for GTK+ and distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later. GNU/Linux is the main target; listed supported platforms are Linux and Windows, and the README says it should also run on *BSD, Solaris, and Win32. Building the current version requires GTK+, a Mono/.NET runtime and C# compiler, Gtk# bindings, pkg-config, and Meson. The GitHub releases page has no releases, and the README provides source-build instructions. NEWS lists version 0.6.3 dated 2020-10-11. Saving a changed-size file under the same name requires temporary space for both files; same-size files save in place.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Bless is a binary (hex) editor for editing files as a sequence of bytes.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
License
Bless is distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Build requirements
Building and running the current version requires GTK+, a Mono/.NET runtime and C# compiler, Gtk# bindings, pkg-config, and Meson.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Distribution
The GitHub releases page states that there are no releases there; the README gives source-clone and build instructions.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Editing tools
It supports multilevel undo and redo, customizable data views, multiple tabs, and fast find and replace.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Export and plugins
It can export to text and HTML, supports other export formats through plugins, and is extensible with plugins.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Implementation
It is written in C# and uses Gtk# bindings for GTK+.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Known save constraint
When saving a changed-size file under the same name, the README says temporary disk space must hold both the original and new file; same-size files are saved in place.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Large files
The project lists efficient editing of large data files as a main feature.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Latest listed version
The NEWS file lists Bless v0.6.3 dated 2020-10-11.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Raw disks
The project lists raw disk editing as a main feature.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Search and save
Search and save operations are multi-threaded, according to the project feature list.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Target platform
The README identifies GNU/Linux as the main target and says it should also run on major platforms including *BSD, Solaris, and Win32.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com

Plans and prices

Bless Free GNU GPL-2.0-or-later · source build Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com

Every Bless plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Handles large data files efficiently
  • Supports raw disk editing
  • Provides multilevel undo and redo
  • Exports to text and HTML
  • Plugin architecture extends formats and features

Limits

  • Current version requires several build dependencies
  • GitHub releases page has no releases
  • Changed-size saves need extra disk space
  • Latest listed version is dated 2020

Who it suits

Bless suits users who need byte-level editing, including large files or raw disks, on Linux or Windows. It also fits users comfortable building software from source and extending it with plugins.

Verdict

Bless offers detailed byte editing with large-file, disk, search, and plugin capabilities. Installation is source-oriented, and its documented release information is old, so setup and maintenance require attention.

Where Specifiction places it

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