Markdown reader · version 1.2 · Mac · Windows · Linux
Hash signs, asterisks and hyphens are meant for writing. For reading you want headings, emphasis and a calm measure. The Gerber .md Reader opens your Markdown files and sets them as a clean, readable document, right on your own computer.
The Gerber .md Reader is a local Markdown reader for macOS, Windows and Linux by Gerber.Media. It is a single Python file that needs nothing but Python 3, runs in your browser at localhost:8777 and only reads files in your home folder. It offers a distraction-free reading mode with sepia, paper and night themes, editing with a live split view, search, a table of contents, accessibility options and a user interface in 15 languages.
This is the reading mode in miniature. Choose a page colour, switch on the reading ruler or make the type bigger.
Markdown is written for people, yet it is usually read as raw source: hash signs, asterisks, hyphens. The reader turns those signs back into what they mean, headings, emphasis, lists and tables, and gives the text a line length that is easy on the eye.
Long documents get a table of contents of their own, a progress bar and an estimate of the reading time. Switch to sepia for a warm evening page, or to night when the room is dark.
The interface follows your browser language and can be switched at any time. Arabic is shown right to left.
| Action | Mac | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Edit mode | ⌘E | Ctrl+E |
| Save | ⌘S | Ctrl+S |
| Search | ⌘F | Ctrl+F |
| Reading mode | ⌘⇧R | Ctrl+Shift+R |
| Accessibility | ⌘⇧A | Ctrl+Shift+A |
The reader is not published as open source yet. Write to me and I’ll send you the package with the installer for your system.
Installer package (.pkg) that puts the app into Applications.
Setup wizard with desktop and start menu shortcuts and an uninstaller.
Install script without sudo: app menu entry, icon, .md file type and the md-reader command.
hello@gerber.mediaNo. It runs as a small server on localhost:8777 that is not reachable from outside, only reads files inside your home folder and has no telemetry. On first start it loads the libraries for Markdown rendering and syntax highlighting from a CDN, so an internet connection is needed once.
Python 3.6 or newer, which is usually already installed on a Mac. Everything else is in a single file. Installers exist for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Yes. Edit mode and the split view let you write Markdown with a live preview and save straight into the original file.
German, English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Ukrainian, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Turkish and Arabic, including right-to-left layout.
Ask me. Write to hello@gerber.media and tell me which system you use.