Plain Text Files

Knowhow stored in Notions and Google Docs will not scale (what if you need to change something?), we can’t do a search and replace. But why not use what developers have for ages for knowledge, too?

Plain text files are future-proof:

Every device, including ones long gone, and ones not invented yet, can read and edit plain text. Whether future virtual reality or a chip you can implant in your earlobe, plain text will be there. Will Microsoft Word? Evernote? Notion? Maybe. Maybe not.

Plain text files are:

1. Portable
2. Un-Commercial
3. Offline
4. No Dependencies
5. Easiest to convert

This is the story of how (Neo)Vim and Markdown unified my data engineering and writing workflow.
As Kepano, the CEO of Obsidian says:

Obsidian will not exist forever, no app will. However, the files you create in Obsidian are yours, and can hopefully last for generations.

For me, Plain text files are the foundation, Markdown as the format, and Neovim as the editor. Combined, they will last until the end of days of computers.

See Local First.

File Over App is a term by Steph Ango, see more on the link.

See more at Markup Language.

Arent’ Claude Skills just Plain text files?

• Markdown vs Rich Text.
• Creating Local First Collaboration Software with Automerge - YouTube by Daniel Kahneman
• Here’s a good video on how to do that and work with a team, mainly with git and GitHub, but all with Plain text: The Plain-Text Team.
• Text-based web browsers - CSSence.com

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References:
Created 2023-05-27