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sbysb • today at 6:40 AM • 1 reply • view on HN

I do not think that is the problem with markdown lol. There are lots of problems with markdown, especially vanilla or the more limited versions of it - but really its super power is that it is readable with a regular text editor (or `cat`) and can be rendered without a compilation step.

Markdown is not competing with latex or typst, it is competing with (and has won against) .txt files

Replies

Certhas • today at 10:22 AM

Actually basic typst is as readable as markdown, e.g. this is the example from the webapp:

  = The Typst Playground

  Welcome to the Typst Playground! This is a sandbox where you can experiment with Typst. You can type anywhere in the editor panel on the left. The preview panel to the right will update live.
  
  = Basics <basics>
  
  Typst is a _markup_ language. You use it to express not just the content, but also the structure and formatting of your document. For example, surrounding a word with underscores _emphasizes_ it with italics and starting a line with an equals sign creates a section heading.
  
  Typst has lightweight syntax like this for the most common formatting needs. Among other things, you can use it to:
  
  - *Strongly emphasize* some text
  - Refer to @basics
  - Typeset math: $a, b in { 1/2, sqrt(4 a b) }$
  
  That's just the surface though! Typst has powerful systems for scripting, styling, introspection, and more. In the realm of a Typst document, there is nothing you can't automate.