This matrix is a high-level positioning guide. It focuses on guarantees, authoring cost, and typical audience.
| Format | Guarantees | Authoring Cost | Typical Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
A2ML |
Typed invariants + attestation |
Low to medium |
Docs, specs, long-lived artifacts |
CommonMark |
Unambiguous syntax only |
Low |
General web docs |
Djot |
Rich syntax, deterministic parse |
Low |
Web docs, technical writing |
AsciiDoc |
Strong structure by convention |
Medium |
Technical manuals |
reStructuredText |
Strong structure by convention |
Medium |
Python/docs ecosystems |
DocBook |
Schema-validated structure |
High |
Enterprise publishing |
JATS |
Schema-validated scholarly structure |
High |
Academic journals |
TEI |
Extensive schema-driven encoding |
High |
Digital humanities |
xml2rfc |
Strict XML vocabulary |
High |
IETF standards |
DITA |
Topic-based structured XML |
High |
Enterprise technical writing |
A2ML targets the gap between lightweight authoring and formal guarantees by combining a small surface syntax with a typed, verifiable core.