> it is equally unlikely for future computers to ever lose the ability to read a pdf

Well, we'll just have to wait and see. I wouldn't count on PDF files being easily readable in, say, 40 years (if humanity even exists at that point :D).

Anyway, this has been an interesting discussion, random person on the internet. I need to head out to a Covid test, wish me luck.

I mean you can read plain text files with a command line interface if you really want to, on pretty much every computer ever made.

You can put that file on an IBM PC from 1981, write "type filename.txt | more". You can use the cat command on a 50 year old Unix system to read the file. If you somehow put the file on a Commodore 64, you can read it too.

It's a format that is extremely unlikely to become unreadable in the foreseeable future, regardless of where technology progresses.

Of course, for everyday use PDF and EPUB are much better. But for compatibility and archival? Can't beat plain text.

Plain text is the most superior format, because it's plain text. No need to convert it to different formats, no special readers required, nothing.

With the magic of modern technology, you can of course have the same text in multiple formats! Wow!