One new thing I’ve been trying with this site is to compose new entries using Markdown. This is a simple language optimized for composing web entries (co-created by John Gruber, author of daringfireball.net). It strikes me as being a lot like LaTeX. It handles line breaks similarly (one line break is ignored, while two or more indicates a new paragraph), makes it straightforward to have itemized or enumerated lists, links, section division, and headlines using a simple syntax. As opposed to LaTeX and html however, there isn’t really much that can go wrong with this syntax. You just type, and it works. One doesn’t need to really keep a mental ‘stack’ in their heads when they type, remembering to type in close tags when finished the current entity. That’s a relief when you just want to think about composition, and not about syntax.

I’ve been using Tumblr for this site, and they allow entry composition with Markdown which is a nice perk over some other web platforms. Also, I’m using an OS X application called MarsEdit ($30 with a 30 day free trial available) which integrates with most major blogging services (Wordpress, Tumblr, Blogger, Livejournal, etc.). For LaTeX users, it reminds me a lot of TeXShop, where one sees the ‘source’ in one window, and the compiled document in another window. A pleasant addition however is the automatic, continuous compilation between the source and document windows. As you edit the source, you immediately see how it changes the web entry. It’s very slick. It syncs your entries on the server with local versions, and allows to edit and update easily. Moreover, when using it with Tumblr blogs, it supports Markdown. This makes the blogging experience much like using LaTeX on a mac, except better as you avoid some of the negative usability aspects associated with LaTeX.