Web Revival

I have been using WP since it started being available (how long ago? fifteen years? Plus?) but in the last years I became real, real tired with the bloat and with the constant need to update WP in order to keep it secure. Also, I disliked however more complex it was becoming to fully own my WP, being able to control it and make it exactly how I wanted it to be. It's probably just me getting too old to understand why those changes are good but that was enough to convince me to search for an alternative. And to question my own expectations and what I wanted my website to be.

I now use Hugo to publish a static website. It's much simpler, and it's a much simpler website too. I like that.

I write my content using Markdown. Use a command line (I don"t really, I made a short script that does it for me) to generate the new pages through Hugo and then upload them using SSH to my server, which is hosted by a small French company whose customer support is excellent. They manage all security issues much better and much quicker than I will ever be able to (I'm way too incompetent to be able to do server security right). They're also always willing to help me no matter how silly my request can be, no matter what stupid mistake I can make—and I have done some real stupid ones ;)

The site itself is fully static (HTML with very little CSS). There is no script running, and there is nothing I need to constantly keep updated but the content itself... which happens when I feel like it.

I wanted that website to be as privacy-respecting, and as un-taxing as possible for people with slow Internet access. I also wanted to see how small/bloat-less I could make it while still make it feel nice enough to be willing to post stuff. It's a very minimal website. It loads fast. At least, I tried my best to achieve that, even learning way more than I ever cared to know about image optimization. No doubt it could still be improved, but I think it's already ok.

It's script-free and it's also 100% ads-free. I hate ads as much as I hate the current crackdown on our right to privacy.

I have no analytics running so I can't tell for sure, but judging by the very few messages I receive I don't get much visitors, if any. I quite like being that old fool talking all by himself, most of the time. Hence the name of the blog ;)

I don't post much. I share reflections and considerations. ie, a little over year ago I explained in a couple posts why I decided to almost completely quit reading ebooks, switching back to print books after 20 years or so almost exclusively reading ebooks. Or I write about how I try to make things simpler and try to live simpler (no I don't live in a cabin in the woods, far from it), about writing and reading, memories and silly stuff. At its core, it's a personal blog nothing more. I write almost exclusively in English, with the occasional post in French because, well, I'm French but that could also change as I've recently realized I have this growing itch to write more in French—let's just say I feel sad and very unhappy seeing how poorly French is being treated by some people around here, or something like that.

I have not yet made up my mind on what is considered the correct usage regarding sharing link to a personal website here on Lemmy, so I avoid posting it but if anyone wants to see it I can post the link, obviously. You can also click on my profile, the link is in my bio ;)