The Case for Plain Text in a Proprietary World

Before it becomes a document, database, or web page, every block of digital information starts as text. The rest is decoration layered on top. Think of text as a foundational format, the most basic building block that we use to store information. It’s the closest step from having a thought to expressing it in text.

Currently, the trend is towards advanced interfaces, closed ecosystems, and subscription-based services. Data is frequently tied to a specific ecosystem, and if that disappears, so does your data. Formats like DOCX and PDF have come to dominate the field, prioritizing visuals, convenience, and ecosystem lock-in, at the expense of the advantages of plain text.

Many would argue that plain text is too simple for modern applications. It doesn’t natively support advanced layouts, embedded media, or complex formatting. They’re missing the point. Plain text is not a replacement for every other format; it’s a foundation to be built on. Lightweight markup languages, like Markdown, use simple conventions to add semantic structure and formatting. They’re an extension of plain text that still preserves the core strengths. The key is that the data is still accessible by anyone, anywhere. Tools like Obsidian bridge the gap, providing the experience of a modern interface while keeping your data in generic Markdown format.

Many writers prefer plain text to focus on words, not formatting. LLMs process and generate nothing but text. Even the world’s largest software stacks are stored in plain text, just structured with programming language syntax.

Plain text is universal, standardized, portable, and future-proof. Text files from 30 years ago remain just as accessible and readable today as they will be 30 years from now.

Note: this article (and most of the other content on this website) is written in Markdown :)