Toby Bartels wrote:
The question isn't how easy "'''" is to learn. The question is how easy "<b>" is to learn. The answer to that is, it's pretty darned easy; therefore, since people will try it, it should be allowed. If having two ways to write the same thing is bad, then honestly "'''" should go before "<b>" does.
(Note the "if"; I think that "'''" is great -- easier to type. In fact, it should actually be rendered as <strong>, which is even harder to type but is almost always more correct.)
Or <em> maybe? Many people comne to wikipedia completely ignorant of HTML. Many people on the net don't even know what HMTL is -- really! Some of them are my friends! Many people *with websites* use Dreamweaver or some such and have no idea what <b> means.
I think the most important point is that wiki must be easily readable in both raw & rendered formats. The eye skims over ''' very easily, whereas <b> and </b> arrest the flow.
I would hesitate before deprecating <b> and <i> in wiki markup, but I change those to the equivalent ' whenever I see them, and I don't think they should be encouraged.
tarquin