# Plain Text Plain text is unformatted text encoded in a standard character encoding (ASCII, UTF-8). It contains only readable characters—no formatting metadata, no proprietary structure, no binary data. A plain text file written today can be read by any computer, in any operating system, using any text editor, decades from now. This durability makes plain text the most future-proof data format in computing. Derek Sivers, in his essay "Write Plain Text Files," advocates storing personal data—journals, contacts, notes—in plain text precisely because it will outlive every app. Plain text is foundational to the [[File over app principle]]: your data belongs to you, not to applications. It underpins [[Markdown]], [[Org-mode]], source code, configuration files, and [[Literate Programming]]. While plain text lacks rich formatting, this is a feature: it forces focus on content over presentation. Tools like [[Obsidian]], vim, and Emacs treat plain text as first-class. The Unix philosophy was built on plain text pipelines. For knowledge that needs to last—notes, journals, ideas—plain text remains the most reliable choice. ## Plain Text Philosophy ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ PLAIN TEXT │ │ "The Cockroach of File Formats" │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ 1970s ───────────────────────────────────────▶ 2070s │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Plain text files remain readable │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ • ASCII (1963) still works │ │ │ │ • UTF-8 (1993) universal standard │ │ │ │ • No app required to read │ │ │ │ • No company needs to exist │ │ │ │ • No subscription needed │ │ │ │ • No format conversion ever │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ Meanwhile: WordStar, Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, │ │ countless proprietary formats... all dead or dying │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Why Plain Text | Reason | Description | |--------|-------------| | **Durability** | Readable for 50+ years | | **Universality** | Any device, any OS, any editor | | **Ownership** | No vendor lock-in | | **Simplicity** | No corruption, no format issues | | **Searchability** | grep, find, any tool works | | **Version control** | Git tracks changes perfectly | | **Scriptability** | Automate with any language | ## Plain Text Formats | Format | Structure | Use Case | |--------|-----------|----------| | **Raw .txt** | None | Notes, logs | | **[[Markdown]]** | Lightweight markup | Documentation, notes | | **[[Org-mode]]** | Outliner + markup | Emacs PKM | | **CSV** | Comma-separated | Tabular data | | **JSON** | Key-value pairs | Structured data | | **YAML** | Human-friendly config | Configuration | | **Source code** | Programming syntax | Software | ## Plain Text vs Rich Formats | Aspect | Plain Text | Rich/Binary | |--------|------------|-------------| | **Readability** | Always | Requires app | | **Longevity** | Decades | App-dependent | | **File size** | Tiny | Often larger | | **Formatting** | Limited/none | Full control | | **Collaboration** | Easy diff/merge | Often difficult | | **Search** | Trivial | App-dependent | ## Tools and Philosophy | Tool/Movement | Plain Text Role | |---------------|-----------------| | **Unix** | "Everything is a file" (text streams) | | **[[Obsidian]]** | Markdown files on disk | | **vim/Emacs** | Text editors as lifestyle | | **[[File over app principle]]** | Apps come and go, text remains | | **Git** | Designed for text files | | **[[Literate Programming]]** | Programs as readable documents | ## References - https://sive.rs/plaintext (Derek Sivers) - https://stephango.com/file-over-app (Steph Ango) - https://plaintextproject.online/ ## Related - [[File over app principle]] - [[Markdown]] - [[Org-mode]] - [[Local-First Software]] - [[Literate Programming]] - [[Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)]] - [[Obsidian]] - [[Data Ownership]]