Notes on Plain Text Publishing

A manifesto in favor of plain text.

Abstract

This short document outlines the rationale for publishing with lightweight markup languages rather than WYSIWYG editors. It is intended as a reference for future decisions about tooling.

Principles

  1. Portability. Plain text files can be read and edited anywhere.
  2. Version control. Markup files work cleanly with Git and similar systems.
  3. Longevity. A folder of text files will outlast any CMS.
  4. Focus. Writing in markup removes formatting distractions.

Recommended formats

Format Use case Notes
Markdown General writing Widely supported
Textile Textpattern publishing Native support
HTML Final output Generated, not authored

Conclusion

For this site, Textile is the natural choice. It integrates directly with Textpattern and produces clean, predictable HTML.

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