On Static Websites-

I wanted to write something about my experience making websites and using a static website generator.

I wasn’t a web developer- but I had just finished Vestigial, and I needed some way to show it. As of writing this, it’s 2 years into the Covid-19 Pandemic, and I have made an arcade game for a non-existent audience. Rats.

Publishing the game became less about a product, and more about a work of art and a demonstration of my skills- a tangible resume. I felt the need to have a way to show it off which was something I had been thinking of. I was also frustrated with the way that online portfolios operated. way to bloated, ad tracking that i abhor, and quite frankly- pretty expensive given what my limited needs for them were.

So enter static websites: Static websites conceptually are tiny html websites that are so lightweight, they’re hosted on distributed servers in the same way that many content servers host images. Because of that, They load incredibly fast from basically anywhere. Static sites are intriguing to me because they’re fast as hell, and low scope. This appeared to fit the needs I had regarding tracking, and cost- as they’re essentially free and you develop them yourself.

Static Site Generators

Making static sites is a different thing altogether. I could have tried to use dreamweaver or some other large bloated site, but i figured- let’s learn about Static Site Generators! SSGs are generally ways to make websites with programming as opposed to using an editor. You describe how content should be formatted with code, and then the generator actually creates and connects the pages for you. I’m currently using one called HUGO.

So far, I’ve been able to get a pretty simple website, and it’s hosted for free on a service called Vercel. It has taken quite a lot of my time, and although I now have it- I can’t say I would willfully do this again.

Hope the website is fast for you and thanks for reading!

Robin