IMO the most important feature of markdown is that any random person, whether they are technical or not or know what markdown is or not, can view markdown-forma

IMO the most important feature of markdown is that any random person, whether they are technical or not or know what markdown is or not, can view markdown-formatted text and understand it perfectly fine. A UI layer added on top is nice to have, but not at all necessary. Most alternative formats miss that critical point.