"Markdown is two things: (1) a plain text formatting syntax; and (2) a software tool… that converts the plain text formatting to HTML. […] The overriding design

"Markdown is two things: (1) a plain text formatting syntax; and (2) a software tool… that converts the plain text formatting to HTML. […] The overriding design goal for Markdown’s formatting syntax is to make it as readable as possible. The idea is that a Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it’s been marked up with tags or formatting instructions… the single biggest source of inspiration for Markdown’s syntax is the format of plain text email." http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/ http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/ I don't think it's far-fetched to say what tptacek did since it's dang close to what Gruber has always said about Markdown. Note that phrasing: it's not a language, it's a "plain text formatting syntax."