The Markdown Challenge: My New Years Resolution
Well, mostly hate. I do like that Word is ubiquitous and pretty much a must have in the corporate world. Actually, that sucks. Anyone should be able to read a single file. Sadly, Adobe, Microsoft and Apple have got us thinking that we have to have proprietary software for everything. That isn’t the case.
This nifty little syntax created by Jon Gruber allows anyone to make documents that look and function like HTML except they can be exported into almost any file type. I’ll get into the nitty-gritty later into this adventure, but basically, Markdown will change your life, just like it has changed mine. The sad part is that there are tons of apps (A simple Google search turned up quite a few results) that allow you to write in Markdown and preview the files. Some offer complete workflow changes that sync and search files, others are simple writing experiences, some just preview files. It is a jumbled mess. That’s where my idea came in. I am going to dedicate the first month or two of 2014 to finding my best workflow for using Markdown. If you read this along the way, maybe you’ll find a workflow with Markdown in it for yourself.
I am writing this in Text Edit so there is no bias for what I am about to undertake. I want to find the text editor for writing that will rule them all. While David Sparks wants to be “less fiddly” with his text editors in the coming year, I want to do a deep dive. This is currently what is in my roster:
I will be adding to this list. This may never end…
I need to see how all of these apps will perform for what I need. I have created a few challenges that each editor needs to do well in. The main categories will be:
I love and pay for Evernote, so I’d like that to be my default syncing platform for when things are finished. I will be using the mmd->Evernote service for this synching method
I would like Dropbox to be my secondary syncing solution while notes are being created and in the editing process.
If needed, I am okay with iCloud sync as that is the way a lot of apps are going. If this is the primary sync method, I want to make sure I can get to my files and save as I need.
The app needs to work well with how I work. I want it to get out of my when I need it. The windowed mode needs to be top notch. Things to be where I think they would be.
I loved Bret Terpstra’s Marked for previewing Markdown files. The fact that it can import straight into Microsoft Word makes it an essential bit of software for me.
The editor has to work easily with Marked. That simple.
How can this text editor augment how I write notes, blog posts and everything else.
This may be a little harder to judge, but I’ll figure something out.
I’ll post my exact process for judging each interface and workflow soon. I’m in the middle of coming up with exactly how I want to rate everything and how I’m going to organize everything. This will be an open source experiment. What I mean is that I’m doing everything in the open. I am going to share exactly what I’m doing.
Basically, I’m going to blog about my experience with everything about this project. I want people to know the benefits of using Markdown even if they aren’t a computer whiz and what my ideal Markdown application would be. Try being open minded about what my little experiment could do for you. I truly think everyone can benefit from implementing Markdown into their everyday computer writing, it just takes an open mind and some tinkering.