3 ms·

We really need to get people out of the habit of using WYSIWYG editors.

johnchristopher 14y ago
At some point around 2005 there were talks on the web about [WYSIWYM][1] editor. It hasn't widely taken off yet. Or maybe markdown simply meets those needs. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYM
zanny 14y ago
Just stick them on reddit and they will learn markdown in a few weeks!
jules 14y ago
This is a very naive view of reality. WYSIWYG editors are superior in almost every way for almost all users. I used to force markdown on people too, but WYSIWYG is really a killer feature for most users. It requires far less learning, the features are more discoverable, it's quicker to edit even after they manage to become proficient with markdown, and there is no mental translation from what they're editing to what it's going to look like. But also other features that you might not immediately think of are very important, such as the ability to copy-paste from their existing word processor documents and preserve markup. Editing rich text with a plain text editor rather than a rich text editor is to most people like editing your photos with a hex editor instead of Photoshop is to you: not the right tool for the job, unpleasant, slow, requires learning, requires mental translation, and can't easily copy paste from existing material.
- altcognito 14y ago
  It is comparable to the difference between digital cameras and film cameras. I see results sooner. Sure, I can take good film pictures if I know the lighting conditions, shutter settings, business about f-stops but being able to see how you failed sooner is a big plus.
foxylad 14y ago
Why? Garish formatting? A really simple editor that only had the formatting options allowed by markdown would be functionally equivalent, and the great unwashed would find it much easier to use.
- alexchamberlain 14y ago
  My primary reason is version control. It's much easier to diff text files.

At some point around 2005 there were talks on the web about [WYSIWYM][1] editor. It hasn't widely taken off yet. Or maybe markdown simply meets those needs. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYM

zanny 14y ago

Just stick them on reddit and they will learn markdown in a few weeks!

jules 14y ago

This is a very naive view of reality. WYSIWYG editors are superior in almost every way for almost all users. I used to force markdown on people too, but WYSIWYG is really a killer feature for most users. It requires far less learning, the features are more discoverable, it's quicker to edit even after they manage to become proficient with markdown, and there is no mental translation from what they're editing to what it's going to look like. But also other features that you might not immediately think of are very important, such as the ability to copy-paste from their existing word processor documents and preserve markup. Editing rich text with a plain text editor rather than a rich text editor is to most people like editing your photos with a hex editor instead of Photoshop is to you: not the right tool for the job, unpleasant, slow, requires learning, requires mental translation, and can't easily copy paste from existing material.

altcognito 14y ago
It is comparable to the difference between digital cameras and film cameras. I see results sooner. Sure, I can take good film pictures if I know the lighting conditions, shutter settings, business about f-stops but being able to see how you failed sooner is a big plus.

foxylad 14y ago

Why? Garish formatting? A really simple editor that only had the formatting options allowed by markdown would be functionally equivalent, and the great unwashed would find it much easier to use.

alexchamberlain 14y ago
My primary reason is version control. It's much easier to diff text files.