The rise of Markdown

I’m sorry, I can’t help but laugh.

I use Markdown almost every day. I have apps specifically designed for that purpose.

And, I’m the only person in my network (family, company, church, social circle) for whom that’s true. And we’re a tech company.

“Took over the world” doesn’t even qualify as hyperbole. My goodness does the tech community consistently overestimate its own cultural centrality.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

“But that’s the point! It’s everywhere even if they don’t know it!”

The article doesn’t just claim technical ubiquity. It opens with “casual scraps of code” and “exchange a grocery list in Apple Notes or copy someone’s homework in Google Docs.” That’s explicitly claiming consumer relevance. And that claim is simply false for 99% of the population. Per tech culture policy, Dash is writing for an audience that already agrees with him.

It may “be there,” but they’re not using it.

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