Markdown HTML tool for writers

If you are familiar with formatting HTML pages and articles and sometimes have the feeling a general notepad editor just doesn’t meet your formatting needs, Markdown might be for you. Markdown is a markup language with plain text formatting syntax designed so that it can be converted to HTML and many other formats using a tool by the same name, it is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers. Markdown allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML). The goal for Markdown’s formatting syntax is to be as readable as possible. A Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it’s been marked up with tags or formatting instructions. In short, you can create beautiful HTML documents without knowing any HTML because of the simplified syntax (I know. Little contradicting statement there, but just use it and you’re on you way to be an HTML master in no time). For example the Markdown syntax allows you to do thing like:

**Strong**Strong

*Emphasis*Emphasis

[Link to this article](http://www.mauricebakker.nl/all/markdown/)Link to this article

Here is the full syntax reference provided and maintained by packetlife.net

Markdown Cheatsheet
Markdown Cheatsheet

For more information about the Markdown initiative see Daring Fireball

Markdown software programs

MarkdownPad for Windows

Remarkable for Linux

Alternative Cloud solution that you manage yourself: ownCloud

I am using cloud file storage services for quite some time now, they are pretty convenient to have your files on the go, share them and collaborate using them. I am using Dropbox since 2008 already, look:

Click to see a larger image
This is what the introduction mail looked like: “Welcome to the Cloud” | Click for a larger image

Besides Dropbox I actively used former Microsoft’s SkyDrive, now OneDrive and Google Drive as well, seeing as it’s part of your Google account, but also Box and some other ones to try and test.

Surely they are easy to use and free, but I would like a more private solution and found one, ownCloud.

owncloud is self-hosted solution that you manage. It provides the following features:

Click the link to leanr more  get ownCloud to install on your server
Click the link to learn more get ownCloud to install on your server

How to give a technical training to create a website without creating FTP accounts…

FTP servers to use during multiple training sessions can be a pain in the ass to manage. Creating users, provide them the right credentials by CHMOD them. Assign website root folders to them and what not. Especially in a recurring training for different people this can be quite a hassle… But a solution is near…

Weapon of choice: CODIAD

CODIAD is a web-based IDE framework and is built with simplicity in mind. Allowing for fast, interactive development without the massive overhead of some of the larger desktop editors. That being said even users of IDE’s such as Eclipse, NetBeans and Aptana are finding Codiad’s simplicity to be a huge benefit. While simplicity was key, we didn’t skimp on features and have a team of dedicated developer actively adding more.

  • Support for 40+ languages
  • Plugin Library
  • Error checking & notifications
  • Mutliple user support
  • Editor screen splitting
  • LocalStorage redundancy
  • Advanced searching tools
  • Smart auto-complete
  • Real-Time Collaborative editing
  • Over 20 Syntax color themes
  • Completely Open-Source
  • Easily customized source
  • Runs on your own server
  • Quick-Download backups
  • Maximum editor screen space

Besides all the marketing terms in that one. It actually delivers.

Click here for a Codiad demo or download information.