Title
Add "Markdown" support to LJ.
Short, concise description of the idea
Markdown is a filter for quick-and-simple, easy-to-write text markup. It's in Perl, too. Like LJ.
Full description of the idea
Simpler that HTML, especially for common emphasis - text wrapped in asteriks gets *italicized* or **bolded** (or ***both***), lists can be easily created, headers... with the additional Smarty Pants code, quotes can be made typographically-correct, -- becomes an en-dash... Try out the online version to see why it's cool - copy and paste this into it!
- Similar to those of enabling “rich text” input on text boxes, except it’s a filter on the other end.
- Simpler markup that results in less “geeze, I messed up an italics tag, now I have to delete and repost” woes.
An ordered list of problems/issues involved
- “Markdown is free for personal use, and costs $50 per domain for commercial use. The code is open source, licensed under the GPL.”
- Some people will love it, some will hate it; I'd build it with a switch, and have the default to be off.
An organized list, or a few short paragraphs detailing suggestions for implementation
- Get the code. Wire it up between the “edit entry/post comment” boxes and the “preview/post” code. Make it optional.
