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> Off topic question: Why has rich text fallen so far out of fashion? I really like Markdown, but why is it that Markdown is now so popular and richtext boxes t
by shurcooL 12y ago
> Off topic question: Why has rich text fallen so far out of fashion? I really like Markdown, but why is it that Markdown is now so popular and richtext boxes that can display a realtime preview (e.g. bolding text, italics, etc) aren't. What is it markdown offers over that? Is it just transportability?
A very good question. I think it's because once you can type fast, having to take your hands off the keyboard to use the mouse to select text, apply various styles, add links, etc. is slower than just writing everything with the keyboard without raising your hands.
- Jedd 12y agoI think you're mostly right - I'd just add that perhaps the lack of (real estate) space on most mobile devices discourages wasteful and hard-to-henpeck toolbars. Plus, as others have pointed out, there's that 1/2 MB entry fee. Expensive on transit and on local resources. Maybe also a correlation with the kinds of people who write nontrivial text on their mobile devices, and are comfortable with in-line markup?