----- Original Message -----
From: "Brion Vibber" brion@pobox.com
Requiring people to do all their document creation at this level is like asking people to punch binary ASCII codes into cards by hand -- it's low-level grunt work that computers can handle for us. We have keyboards and monitors to replace punchcards; not only has this let most people stop worrying about memorizing ASCII code points, it's let us go beyond fixed-width ASCII text (a monitor emulating a teletype, which was really a friendlier version of punch cards) to have things like _graphics_. Text can be in different sizes, different styles, and different languages. We can see pictures; we can draw pictures; we can use colors and shapes to create a far richer, more creative experience for the user.
None of which will be visible on phones from my Blackberry on down, which, IIRC, make up more than 50% of the Internet access points on the planet.
Minimalism is your friend; I can presently *edit* wikipedia on that BB, with no CSS, JS, or images. That's A Good Thing.
Cheers, -- jra