I'm starting to think that the whole "static-only website" meme from the early 2010s along with the normalization of static-site generators like Jekyll were a psyop to get websites dependent on big tech, such as using Disqus for comments, Google Analytics instead of hit counters, or Google Site Search for search functionality.
There is nothing wrong with static-sites or static-site generators, but there is a case to be made for server-side scripting, even on personal websites.
@matthew
>However, the concept of a website being a program instead of just a collection of documents is really interesting and I would like to eventually do more with that.
If you are talking about webapps that replace desktop programs, don't. I think there is a case for the web being more than a remote document retrieval tool, but only in a limited sense. Shopping sites, social media sites Internet forums, guestbooks, wikis, etc have their place, but we don't need any more examples of "photoshop in the browser".
I've been thinking of this idea for years. It's a network protocol where the client is simply a JIT compiler and the server serves source code for games and other software. Kind of like Adobe Flash, except that it doesn't use the web browser and the source code for software is always available (not counting obfuscation).
I'm very much appreciate wikis.
> but we don't need any more examples of "photoshop in the browser"
Yeah, we agree on that, too 😄
@xianc78@gameliberty.club
I've thought about that.
Static has some real advantages but it wouldn't nice to have the best of both worlds
Darn typo
Wouldn't it be nice *
@gabriel There are a lot of features that personal websites can have that can only be done through server-side scripting. Hit counters give you basic analytics without compromising readers' privacy. And why not many blogs have comment sections anymore, I think having a simple guestbook or a shoutbox on a single page allows interactivity with your audience.
@xianc78 @gabriel
The problem, as I see it, is that you have to be a programmer to have self-hosted server-side scripting. Only because there aren't any battle hardened options that eventually become overpriced app stores that hold simple sites hostage. I'm long at you WordPress.
There's no basic commenting or contract form, other than mailto links. Not that I've crossed. So many are built on 30 sub-architectures, all behind on their security patches. I rolled my own, but others can't.
I agree.
Have used static site generators, such as Hugo, and mostly been a good experience.
However, the concept of a website being a program instead of just a collection of documents is really interesting and I would like to eventually do more with that.
#webdev