> interesting, I think I describe my criteria identically to you, but I have different conclusions. The thing aboht markdown and org-mode is that it's fully rea

> interesting, I think I describe my criteria identically to you, but I have different conclusions. The thing aboht markdown and org-mode is that it's fully readable without any extra requirements whatsoever, as opposed to e.g. jupyter, word, etc. Well, yes, but no. It's more readable than the json or xml-files used by jupyter or word (which technically are still plain text). But they are less readable then any markup-free plain text. If you use slightly complex markup, like links or tables, they can become quite unreadable too. That's the nature of complexity. Additionally, you still must be aware of the syntax and it's rules, especially when you wanna write it, not just read them. That's why simple markups considered an in-between. The requirements are low, but they still are there. > So I would say it doesn't _need_ tools, but can _benefit_, as opposed to word/etc. True, but what are the benefits of using them without tools? Why not go full freestyle plain text? Use whatever text you want, make syntax up on the spot as you need it. That would be 100% plain text, as there is no cage that limits your expressioness.