Markdown purrpose

Markdown’s syntax has one purpose: a quick and simple format for efficiently writing for the web.

HTML is a publishing format; Markdown is a writing format.
Markdown is not a replacement for HTML.
Its syntax is small, corresponding only to a small subset of HTML tags.
The idea is not to create a syntax that makes it easier to insert HTML tags.
The idea for Markdown is to make it easy to read, write, and edit prose.

Markdown’s formatting syntax only addresses issues that can be conveyed in plain text.
For any markup that is not covered by Markdown’s syntax, use HTML.

Markdown is meant to help you get into a writing flow.
If you use more traditional writing tools, you pause every few minutes and reach for the mouse in order to click a formatting button or two.
This interrupts your flow and can be distracting. Markdown allows you to keep your hands on the keyboard as you format your words.