Markdown

Markdown is a lightweight markup language with plain-text formatting syntax. It's designed so that it can be converted to HTML and many other formats using a tool by the same name. Markdown is often used to format readme files, for writing messages in online discussion forums, and to create rich text using a plain text editor.

Advantages

• Simple and intuitive syntax, easy to learn and read
• Plain text format ensures portability and longevity
• Widely supported across platforms and applications (GitHub, Reddit, text editors, etc.)
• Easily convertible to HTML and other formats
• Focuses on content structure rather than complex formatting commands

Use Cases

• Documentation system foundation
• Knowledge base articles
• Technical specifications and guides

Alternatives

• reStructuredText (rST) (Sovereignty: 5)
• AsciiDoc (Sovereignty: 5)
• HTML (Sovereignty: 5)
• WYSIWYG Editors (e.g., Word) (Sovereignty: 1)

Installation Steps

1. Markdown itself is a syntax, not software to install for writing.
2. Choose a text editor with Markdown support/preview (e.g., VS Code, Obsidian, Typora).
3. Learn the basic syntax (headings, lists, bold, italics, links, images).
4. Use Markdown parsers/converters (like Pandoc, Marked.js) if needed to transform to other formats.
5. Practice writing!

Resources

• Markdown Guide
• CommonMark Spec