Markdown is meant to be shown (2021)
Whether Markdown syntax should be visible while writing is increasingly contested as more apps store text in Markdown but present a WYSIWYG-style interface. Commenters weigh the original goal of Markdown—plain text that’s readable and directly editable—against the needs of non-technical users who find markup intimidating and prefer styled text, especially in note‑taking and productivity tools. Many favor hybrid approaches (live preview, cursor‑revealed syntax, or optional “show source” modes) and emphasize that Markdown’s role as a portable storage format can be separate from how formatting is exposed in the editor.
Role of Markdown: Visible Syntax vs Rendered Output
- Strong split between those who want to always see raw Markdown and those who prefer styled text with syntax mostly hidden.
- Many argue Markdown’s philosophy is that the plain text itself should be readable, so hiding it undermines a key benefit.
- Others see Markdown primarily as a storage / interchange format that should be rendered WYSIWYG for comfort and aesthetics, especially for long‑form writing and notes.
Editing UX: Modes, Live Preview, and “Reveal Codes”
- Popular compromise: hybrid editors (Obsidian, Bear, Typora) that render formatting but reveal raw syntax around the cursor. Some find this jarring due to text reflow; others say it becomes natural.
- Users want easy toggles between “source” and “preview” and keyboard shortcuts for mode switching.
- Several reminisce about WordPerfect’s “Reveal Codes” and want similar explicit control boundaries to avoid WYSIWYG “magic” backspaces that unexpectedly reformat blocks of text.
Portability, Storage, and Tooling
- Markdown as backend storage is praised: plain text, portable, diff‑friendly, and safer than opaque rich‑text formats.
- Some apps intentionally present pure WYSIWYG while persisting Markdown underneath to get both user‑friendliness and long‑term data safety.
- Others complain about apps that adopt Markdown but then hide it entirely or make preview mandatory, undermining its value to power users.
Markdown Overreach and Alternatives
- Several argue many apps reach for Markdown by default when richer, custom markup or true rich‑text would be better (e.g., complex word processors, wikis).
- Alternatives like djot and formats that output JSON are mentioned, but Markdown’s ubiquity and tooling support are seen as hard to displace.
Formatting Details and Ecosystem Frictions
- Disagreement over keyboard efficiency (
*vs Ctrl/Cmd‑I) and interaction patterns for italic/bold. - Confusion and frustration with inconsistent Markdown‑like syntax across apps (e.g.,
*as bold vs italic in chat tools). - Debate over HTML semantics (
<b>/<i>vs<em>/<strong>) and whether Markdown is “meant” primarily for HTML generation or direct reading. - Prettier and similar auto‑formatters are criticized for mangling human‑oriented whitespace and heading styles in Markdown.
Non‑Technical Users and Product Decisions
- Reports that non‑technical users perceive Markdown as “coding” and strongly prefer Word‑like WYSIWYG.
- Some products (e.g., Trello, various wikis) moving away from visible Markdown or disabling it entirely draws backlash from users who rely on raw syntax.