[Wikipedia-l] Re: Parsing

[tarquin]

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