Yes, is also a shorthand version. And why it can't be?

And I tried first to introduce POD, and doesn't work! Soo, ePod comes.

Well, if you take a try you will see that ePod is not only => and *>, it will also let you write the POD without care about spaces, lines and use of =over and =back for itens. For us, that write programs every day, this is silly, but try to think to some one that have only a notepad and just want to write, not code, specially write without care about rules!

If you really wanted to create a tool for non-programmers to create POD, why not create a word processor which allows for a WYSIWYG interface...

Well, this is a hard job to make and maintain, since I need to make one for Palm, Windows and Linux. Also if I create a new software I need to teach them how to use it, WYSIWYG interface or not, since the last thing that they want is a new software. Soo, ePod, as POD, can be wrote in anything: notepad, pico, Word, etc...

Note that ePod is not a replacement of POD! Is just a simpler way to write docs.