A couple of tradeoffs I don't see mentioned here for HTML vs MD:
- HTML is significantly less token-efficient
- Difficult to provide precise feedback on plans HTML, much easier to do this in MD.
Both of these tradeoffs set Anthropic up for success. Using HTML as our medium will increase token usage, and I'd bet they're investing in tools to mark up HTML (part of Claude Design) which will help improve lock-in. Either coincidence or brilliant strategy.
Second this. If the point of HTML is to have a lot more visuals, then it also means that you will need quite a lot of CSS and JS to make it so. That must mean more tokens.
But, on the other hand. That could be a trade worth taking. Co-working with claude to create a pretty big plan for a rewrite (i know, i know), and showing it to the team is a lot easier in HTML compared to md.
For me, this is just another tool in the toolbox. Doesn't need to be black and white. html or md. Can be both.
Both of these tradeoffs set Anthropic up for success. Using HTML as our medium will increase token usage, and I'd bet they're investing in tools to mark up HTML (part of Claude Design) which will help improve lock-in. Either coincidence or brilliant strategy.