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A new essay argues that plain text remains one of the best technologies ever created, praising its simplicity, longevity and independence from proprietary formats. Readers in tech communities are engaging with the piece, which taps into ongoing debates about file formats, software bloat and the durability of simple tools in an era of complex, constantly changing platforms.

GNU Emacs, the long-running free text editor first released in the 1980s, is being promoted again as a full plain text computing environment rather than just an editor. Its supporters argue it can handle email, file management, programming and writing entirely in text, keeping workflows simple and future-proof. Fans are discussing how its extensibility in Emacs Lisp makes it a lasting tool for people who prefer text-based computing.

A new article argues that plain text is still one of the best and most durable technologies available, praising its simplicity, longevity and independence from specific software or platforms. The piece is drawing attention among programmers and technology enthusiasts, who are debating the merits of simple file formats in an era of complex tools.