Just came across this, don't know if its a feature or a bug. Basically if you don't type out http on a link in the markdown, it does not get converted to the link.
[Link](google.com) => Link
does not work, while
[Link](http://google.com) => Link
I feel that if I am using the inline markdown link syntax then I know that I'm creating a link. So irrespective of that fact that the link is correct (http), I want it to be formatted as a link.
This is correct and by design.
If you want a link, be explicit about the link protocol.
(hint: ftp:// works too.. as does https://)
As @JeffAtwood mentioned, links (URLs) have to contain the protocol aka scheme generally and are not valid without it – although most browsers accept just the hostnames without specifying the protocol.
However, I find displaying [Link](google.com) as Link instead of [Link](google.com) a bug. If a markdown transformation is not applied fully, it should not be applied at all – just like if you write one backtick (`) or an asterisk (*). The current behavior looks somewhat half-hearted.
[Ask Ubuntu](//askubuntu.com): Ask Ubuntu. I am not saying we should use that, but just that it is a possibility.