merkintäkielet

Merkintäkielet, also known as markup languages, are systems for annotating text in a way that is syntactically distinguishable from the text itself. These annotations provide additional information about the text's structure, presentation, or meaning. Unlike programming languages, which are designed to control the behavior of a computer, markup languages are primarily used to describe and organize data.

The most widely recognized example of a markup language is HyperText Markup Language (HTML), which is the foundation of virtually all web pages. HTML uses tags to define elements such as headings, paragraphs, images, and links, allowing web browsers to render content in a structured and visually appealing way. Another prominent example is XML (eXtensible Markup Language), which is designed for storing and transporting data. XML's extensibility allows users to define their own tags, making it highly adaptable for various applications, from configuration files to data exchange between different systems.

Other markup languages include LaTeX, often used for academic and scientific documents due to its powerful typesetting capabilities, and Markdown, a lightweight markup language designed for easy reading and writing, commonly used in online forums and README files. The core principle behind all markup languages is the separation of content from its presentation or metadata, enabling greater flexibility and interoperability.