Part of the Plain Text Is Forever series.
A .txt file from 1985 opens instantly on every device made since. A .md file written today will be readable in 2050 on hardware that doesn’t exist yet. No proprietary format. No database locked inside an app you can’t control. No sync service that decides your notes aren’t worth hosting anymore.
Plain text is the cockroach of file formats. It survives everything.
Consider the Alternative
Think about every format that didn’t survive. WordStar documents. Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets. HyperCard stacks. Evernote’s internal database. Google Notebook. Each one required a specific application to create, a specific application to read, and a migration strategy when that application disappeared.
Plain text required none of that then. It requires none of that now.
The Compound Interest of Durability
Every year that passes, the value of a durable format increases. A note you wrote five years ago in plain text is still a note. A note you wrote five years ago in a discontinued app is an export you hope still works.
This isn’t about being anti-technology. It’s about recognising which layer of the stack deserves your trust. Applications are the paint. Plain text is the concrete.
The Portability Bonus
Durability and portability are the same bet. A file that opens everywhere today will open everywhere tomorrow. A file that requires a specific app today will require a replacement app tomorrow and a conversion tool the day after that.
When you store your thinking in plain text, you’re not just preserving it. You’re keeping it free. Free to move between devices, between operating systems, between decades.
That’s a bet that always pays off.