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Erik Winter 2020-12-04 13:15:39 +01:00
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README.md
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# My Shitty Static Site Generator # My Shitty Static Site Generator
Although there are many SSG's out there that all function perfectly fine, I still went through the effort of creating my own program to do it. And after doing that I wrote a lot of text explaining why. As it turns out, there are some underlying motivations for creating your own tools that I think are interesting for non-programmers too. If you want to read more about it, check the [essay on my site](https://erikwinter.nl/articles/2020/why-i-built-my-own-shitty-static-site-generator/). There is also a note on the [markup used](https://erikwinter.nl/notes/2020/a-tiny-subset-of-asciidoc-for-blogging/). I will create some more documentation later. Although there are many SSG's out there that all function perfectly fine, I still went through the effort of creating my own program to do it. And after doing that I wrote a lot of text explaining why. As it turns out, there are some underlying motivations for creating your own tools that I think are interesting for non-programmers too. If you want to read more about it, check the [essay on my site](https://erikwinter.nl/articles/2020/why-i-built-my-own-shitty-static-site-generator/). There is also a [note on the markup used](https://erikwinter.nl/notes/2020/a-tiny-subset-of-asciidoc-for-blogging/). I will create some more documentation later.
But, one of the points to do it was to have the freedom to put my content anywhere I want. So I was able to bundle everything together and you can find de source texts out of which the mentioned posts are generated right in this repository, in de `doc` folder. But, one of the points to do it was to have the freedom to put my content anywhere I want. So I was able to bundle everything together and you can find de source texts out of which the mentioned posts are generated right in this repository, in de `doc` folder.
As noted in the project name, this software is shitty. Don't use it. I put it here for inspiration and for educational purposes.

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doc/why-i-built-my-own-shitty-static-site-generator.adoc
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:language: EN :language: EN
:project: shitty-ssg :project: shitty-ssg
_NOTE: This post was shared a lot and generated some interesting discussions elsewhere. See the posts on https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25227181[hackernews] and https://old.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/k05oy9/why_i_built_my_own_shitty_static_site_generator/[reddit] to read more._
On the internet, there is no shortage of good quality https://jamstack.org/generators/[static site generators] (SSG’s) that you can download for free. https://gohugo.io/[Hugo], https://jekyllrb.com/[Jekyll], and hundreds of others are readily available. And they work. You can build all kinds of sites with them. I know that, because I’ve used some of them. Hugo was the driving force behind this website until very recently. Despite that, when I tried to add a new section a while ago, I got rather frustrated with it and decided to build my own generator. It turned out to be a very pleasant experience and not just because I like to program things. On the internet, there is no shortage of good quality https://jamstack.org/generators/[static site generators] (SSG’s) that you can download for free. https://gohugo.io/[Hugo], https://jekyllrb.com/[Jekyll], and hundreds of others are readily available. And they work. You can build all kinds of sites with them. I know that, because I’ve used some of them. Hugo was the driving force behind this website until very recently. Despite that, when I tried to add a new section a while ago, I got rather frustrated with it and decided to build my own generator. It turned out to be a very pleasant experience and not just because I like to program things.
While working on it, I discovered some of the deeper motivations that drove me to undertake this project. On the surface it would seem an odd thing to do, because it takes a lot of time and it appears to offer little benefit. I did not create any new or spectacular functionality. If you click around this site and think: Hey, but I could totally make this with <SSG of choice>, then you would probably be right. But that is not the point. There are certain advantages to making it all yourself and I suspect that these advantages trancend the subject of SSG’s and programming. My speculation is that exploring this direction might also be interesting for people who do not like to program, or maybe even for those who don’t like computers that much at all. While working on it, I discovered some of the deeper motivations that drove me to undertake this project. On the surface it would seem an odd thing to do, because it takes a lot of time and it appears to offer little benefit. I did not create any new or spectacular functionality. If you click around this site and think: Hey, but I could totally make this with <SSG of choice>, then you would probably be right. But that is not the point. There are certain advantages to making it all yourself and I suspect that these advantages trancend the subject of SSG’s and programming. My speculation is that exploring this direction might also be interesting for people who do not like to program, or maybe even for those who don’t like computers that much at all.
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In the title, I mention that my generator is “shitty” and it is. It does not have many features. It is riddled with bugs and edge cases that it can’t handle. But that is not important. It works for my problem. If I don’t like something, I can fix it. If bug doesn’t bother me, I’ll let it be. Like all creative endevours, it is important to just start and get it out. You can always improve it later. In the title, I mention that my generator is “shitty” and it is. It does not have many features. It is riddled with bugs and edge cases that it can’t handle. But that is not important. It works for my problem. If I don’t like something, I can fix it. If bug doesn’t bother me, I’ll let it be. Like all creative endevours, it is important to just start and get it out. You can always improve it later.
In a few weeks time, I will put the source online. Not for people to blindly copy and run (why would you?), but to give some inspiration for people who are still on the fence. To show them that shitty does not have to be hard and that it can be good enough, as long as it is the right kind of shitty. _Your_ kind of shitty. In a few weeks time, I will put the source online. Not for people to blindly copy and run (why would you?), but to give some inspiration for people who are still on the fence. To show them that shitty does not have to be hard and that it can be good enough, as long as it is the right kind of shitty. _Your_ kind of shitty.