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 Neovim/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. File Over App

For me, Plain text files are the foundation, Markdown is the best plain text format there is, it’s is a text file still, but you have some formatting that are stored within the text, and Neovim and any other editor can open it in 100 years still. They will last until the end of days of computers. Read more at Markdown note.

Local First is an approach that heavily uses plain text files, and what Markdown and Obsidian for example use.

See more at Markup Language.

Arent’ Agentic Skills just Plain text files?

• Markdown vs Rich Text.
• File Over App
• 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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