A last missing link for interoperable representation

[James Kass via Unicode]

Tex Texin wrote,

 > ... However, the fact that there is a rich text solution for italics
 > isn't helpful to plain text users.

Truer words were never spoken.

 > In the '90s it made sense to resist styling plain text. In the 2020's,
 > with more than 100k characters, numerous pictures and character
 > adornments, it seems anachronistic to be arguing against a handful
 > of control characters that would standardize a common text
 > requirement. Most rendering systems will handle it easily and any
 > plain text editor or other software that supports a combining
 > strikethrough character would easily adapt a combining italicize or
 > a combining bold character.

Exactly.  William Overington has already posted a proof-of-concept here:
https://forum.high-logic.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7831
... using a P.U.A. character /in lieu/ of a combining formatting or VS 
character.  The concept is straightforward and works properly with 
existing technology.