A Markdown File Should Just Open

Markdown, a 20-year-old file format used widely for documentation and writing, still lacks native support on most computers and phones, requiring users to install additional software to view formatted documents rather than raw syntax. The author argues that operating systems should treat Markdown as a first-class document format—similar to how they handle PDFs, images, and videos—since the format's simplicity and plain-text nature make it ideal for long-term accessibility and portability across applications.