The/Formats

A table stays a table, a book stays a book.

Every format is a plugin on top of the core, not an “open as text”. So CSV appears as a table with a pinned header, EPUB as a laid-out sheet with contents, and Markdown with its diagrams rendered.

Download Format matrix

01 · csv · tsv

Data reads as columns, not as a string of characters.

Rainbow columns, header pinned while scrolling.
Large line numbers — helpful on multi-million-row tables.
The same large-file engine: mmap and a background index.

How this works on gigabytes →

metrics.csv— ingest-pipeline

metrics.csvserver.log

	ts	shard	op	rows	ms
994,112	21:14:02.118	07	flush	2,048	18.4
994,113	21:14:02.140	08	flush	2,048	17.1
994,114	21:14:02.166	08	queue	8,412	—
994,115	21:14:02.201	03	rebalance	2,048	57.0
994,116	21:14:02.244	03	checksum	44,907	0.4
994,117	21:14:02.288	03	retry	44,907	42.6
994,118	21:14:02.301	03	flush	2,048	19.8

main↑2✓0⚠01,412,908 rows · 6 columns

Ln 994,116, Col 3UTF-8LFCSV

02 · markdown

A preview with diagrams, not just headings.

Markdown is rendered in the embedded web engine, Mermaid diagrams included — the diagram from a text block appears next to its source.

markdown · mermaid · embedded web engine

Sourcemd

Previewmermaid

03 · epub · fb2 · rtf

WYSIWYG mode: a centred sheet and contents.

A book opens as a book: sheet in the centre, serif typography, zoom.
Table of contents on the left, navigation by chapter.
RTF in the same mode — as a document, not as markup.

Limits of Growth.epub— library

Limits of Growth.epubreport.rtf

contents

Introduction

I. Threshold

II. Limits

III. Trade

IV. Inertia

Notes

Limits

chapter two

We are used to thinking that the growth of a system is bounded by the resources put into it. In practice the boundary is set less by the amount of a resource than by the speed at which the system can redistribute it.

From this follows a rule that is inconvenient for planning: the bottleneck is almost never located where the most expensive node sits.

main↑2✓0⚠0chapter 2 of 6

zoom 120%fit widthEPUB

04 · rich text and export

A document can be made, not only read.

Formatted text is authored right in the editor: headings, lists, alignment, links, images. Then export to PDF or save to EPUB, FB2, RTF.

Bookepub · fb2

PDFexport

Document with a diagrammd + mermaid

ts	shard	op	ms
21:14:02.118	07	flush	18.4
21:14:02.140	08	flush	17.1
21:14:02.166	08	queue	—
21:14:02.201	03	rebalance	57.0
21:14:02.244	03	checksum	0.4
21:14:02.288	03	retry	42.6
21:14:02.301	03	flush	19.8
21:14:02.334	04	flush	16.9

Parsed logcsv · tsv

05 · pdf and images

PDF — for reading, with a text layer.

PDF viewing with page thumbnails and text-layer extraction: the text can be selected and searched. Images open in the built-in viewer and SVG renders correctly.

limits, honestly

PDF editing is not supported: PDF is read and exported to, but not modified.

Page thumbnail list
Text-layer extraction
One zoom control at 50–400%, fit-width and whole-page
Image viewing, SVG included

matrix

What you can do with each format.

Format	Reading and viewing	Creating and writing
txt and logs	Yes, gigabyte files included (mmap, modes)	Yes
csv · tsv	Table mode: rainbow columns, pinned header	Yes, as text
md	Preview with Mermaid diagrams	Yes
c · cpp · go · js · py	tree-sitter highlighting; clangd diagnostics for C/C++	Yes
epub	WYSIWYG: sheet, contents, typography, zoom	Saved from rich text
fb2	WYSIWYG	Saved from rich text
rtf	WYSIWYG	Saved from rich text
pdf	Viewing, thumbnails, text layer	Export only
svg · raster images	Built-in viewer	No

each row is a separate plugin on top of the core; the list of plugins is on the Plugins page

A table stays a table, a book stays a book.

Data reads as columns, not as a string of characters.

A preview with diagrams, not just headings.

WYSIWYG mode: a centred sheet and contents.

Limits

A document can be made, not only read.

PDF — for reading, with a text layer.

What you can do with each format.

Open your format.