I don’t use plain text files because I hate Big Tech.

And I most certainly don’t use plain text files because I love the format either.

And I don’t prefer plain text files to numerous proprietary formats because plain text works better — in some aspects, it does, in some aspects it doesn’t.

So, why use plain text files? Because it requires less trust than using proprietary formats that requires that you put more trust in Big Tech.

Plain text files lets me edit my documents from virtually any editor, on any platform and from any era I choose. Want to edit my files from the command line interface on a HPE Cray supercomputer? Been there! Or how about on an Amiga 500? Got the T-shirt!

Big Tech will fail us in the years to come. Probably often enough, and dramatically enough, that it’s worth ensuring that those failures are compartmentalised and the impact as minimal as possible. That’s why I use plain text files.