What is Markdown?
Markdown is a markup language used for formatting plaintext documents. It was created by John Gruber in 2004 and it has grown in popularity ever since.
A markup language is a system in which you use characters in a text document to change or control its features. A commonly used markup language is HTML, which is the building block of internet websites. In contrast with text processors like Microsoft Word, where you can click the B button or use CTRL+B to use bold, you need to use a set of characters in specific places to make your text bold with HTML.
Markdown can be compared to HTML, but less complex and offers fewer possibilities. This is not a bad thing, though. Usually, a simple tool is better than a complex one for a simple task. After all, you wouldn’t drive a Ferrari to buy groceries, would you?
Markdown consists of about a dozen of characters. As a result, it can be quickly learned and successfully used. Moreover, it is faster to use than HTML.
For example, to make a text bold in Markdown, you need to add two asterisks before and after the text. In HTML, it is more complex:
Markdown: Hello **bold**!
HTML: Hello <strong>bold</strong>!
As you can see, there are four characters used to create bold in Markdown. To achieve the same effect with HTML, you will have to type seventeen!
Markdown’s simplicity and frugality have another advantage. Markdown can be easily read even if it is viewed as plaintext, which means the tags are not shown. As stated by Gruber:
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.
Where is Markdown used?
Markdown is used for creating notes, presentations, and even simple websites. For example, this project is written almost completely in Markdown and HTML is sparsely used.
Markdown is also used to create technical documentation, usually to document code. As a result, there may be a need to translate documentation into other languages. Technical texts are rarely translated by simply substituting one language with another in the source file. To make the process smoother, Computer-Aided Translation software is used.
If you want to learn Markdown basics, use this guide.
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