2026-04-17
April 17, 2026 | Plain Text, Blogging, Writing
Plain text files built the internet before technology stacks were a thing. Honestly, there is no reason why your web presence cannot just be a simple TXT file.
There is nothing stopping you from firing up a text editor (any text editor) right now and writing something with the intention of publishing to the web. No special software or apps. No coding languages, javascript, markup, or markdown. No technology stacks. Just you, your thoughts, ideas, and a text editor.
Then, when you are done, you have content in a format that can be read by virtually any application, anywhere and is so future proof that as long as some form of computing technology exists, your content will be available for reading. And there is no shortage of proof that plain text is the ultimate file format.
Want proof? Head on over to [textfiles.com](http
“… mid-1980’s textfiles and the world as it was then, but even these files are sometime retooled 1960s and 1970s works, and offshoots of this culture exist to this day.”
Meaning that many of these files have been around and readable for nearly 70 years with no real threat of becoming obsolete anytime soon. However, longevity is not the only reason to publish in plain text.
It is not difficult to make a case for writing in plain text. Aside from being basically future proof, plain text is Interpreter Agnostic. Plain text is the only format that does not need an interpreter of any kind to be read and understood by a human. Every other format such as HTML, PDF, DOCX, and so on requires a layer of instructions on top of the words.
Plain text is just the words. It renders everywhere. Minimum requirements to read a plain text file are a computer and a text editor or terminal (cli). Moreover, plain text files can be read with any web browser.
Since the humble TXT file can be read by a web browser, we can
publish it as the simplest form of web page. To get started, open your
favorite text editor (like Notepad or TextEdit) and just write. Text
editors were the original distraction free writing apps, so focus on
your content, on your writing and not your tools. Whenever you are
ready, save it as a .txt file.
The only real “rule” of writing in plain text is to limit your line width to 80 characters. Doing so will ensure that your text file will be easy to read across applications like text editors, web browsers, and terminals. This throwback rule from the days of the IBM punch card also makes it easier for humans to read, as apparently our eyes prefer lines that are about 60 to 80 characters long.
Not really a rule, but a nice to have is a header and footer to frame
the text file and give it more of a web page feel. For example, here is
an example about.txt file:
================================================================================
ABOUT
================================================================================
Web: readbeanicecream.codeberg.page
Feed: readbeanicecream.codeberg.page/feed.xml
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT THIS IS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my plain text bio. No fancy tech stacks. No HTML. No CSS. Just text.
My site, readbeanicecream.codeberg.page, is a personal blog about the IndieWeb,
plain text workflows, RSS culture, and skepticism toward platform dependency.
I use it as a place to think out loud about digital self-reliance and what it
means to own your presence on the web.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT YOU'LL FIND THERE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The site focuses on digital self-reliance and building a life outside of
platforms.
Some of my favorite series are:
- Digital Self-Reliance
Learn about the philosophy digital self-reliance and how to apply it to your
daily life.
https://readbeanicecream.codeberg.page/category/digital-self-reliance/
- Asciidoctor
Take back your online presence with Asciidoc and Asciidoctor.
https://readbeanicecream.codeberg.page/category/asciidoctor/
- RSS
Avoid the algorithm and big tech manipulation by curating your internet
experience with RSS.
https://readbeanicecream.codeberg.page/category/rss/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW THIS WORKS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This page is built with a text editor and saved as a TXT file, then hosted on
Surge. Delivered fast because there is not much to deliver.
readbeanicecream.codeberg.page is built with mkdocs-material. Comments via
Mastodon. No tracking. No ads. No accounts required to read. If you use an
RSS reader, there is a feed. You should use an RSS reader.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feed: readbeanicecream.codeberg.page/feed.xml
Mastodon: mastodon.social/@readbeanicecream
Pixelfed: pixelfed.social/Readbean
Loops: loops.video/@Readbean
================================================================================
Last updated: April 2026 readbeanicecream.codeberg.page/about.txt
================================================================================That’s it. Once you have drafted, edited, proofed, and finalized, you are ready to publish. You can publish your text file to the web via any hosting service or self-host. If you have read any of my posts in my Asciidoctor series.
To see how my about.txt looks published on the web,
check it out at https://readbeanicecream-test-profile.surge.sh/about.txt.
You don’t need a framework to have a web presence. You need a file and a URL. That’s it. That’s always been it.