Wanted: wysiwyg editor that produces markdown on the backend

https://mobile.twitter.com/statuses/192211537832841216/

by ColinWright • 14 years ago

2 3 14 years ago

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wxl• 14 years ago

Or, you know, you could just write in Markdown.

ColinWright• 14 years ago

Yes, I could. But I've learned that other people aren't me.

I've also learned that there are trivial mistakes that are easy to make and sometimes annoying to have to go back and fix. Even more, I've learned that user interfaces can be designed that help prevent such errors from happening inthe first place, allowing one to work faster, with fewer errors, and more able to concentrate on the point, rather than on accidental difficulties.

Would you write a large complex system in assembly language, when the same system could be written in C, or C++, or Python? No, you'd choose the medium that lets you concentrate on the hard bits, and deals with the small, fiddly, boring, mechanical bits for you.

So when I produce a user interface I help people avoid mistakes by providing (when appropriate) radio buttons, or drop-down boxes, instead of free-form fields that need to be formatted exactly right. I try to reduce friction, and let people do the bits that really matter.

So when someone asks about a WYSIWYG editor that produces MarkDown, I listen, and pass on the request to people who might either know of one already, or might think: "Hmm, I wonder if there's a market for that."

rman666• 14 years ago

I guess this does the opposite of what you want to do:

* Windows: [MarkdownPad](http://markdownpad.com/)

Wanted: wysiwyg editor that produces markdown on the backend

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