What is DeadLogs?
Deadlogs is a tool/template for making static blogs and sites. It’s similar to and inspired by Zonelets. I originally coded it in October-November 2021 but went back to it, reworked it, and released it in May 2022. I did the reworking due to my growth in programming since then and my distaste for how I had previously done things.
There were multiple reasons for the creation of DeadLogs:
- I wanted a way to make an easy static blog that didn’t include the need for Markdown;
- I liked Zonelets but wasn’t vibing with parts of it;
- I wanted to have my very own template on the sidelines that I knew I could use without much hassle;
- I wanted to further my web development and Javascript knowledge by building something myself.
In case you didn’t notice, this blog is a DeadLogs blog.
Indie Web
Though I built DeadLogs for mostly myself, I still wanted it to be useable for others. I wanted it to be useable for folks who are just getting into web development or are just wanting a simple blog that they own and can be hosted easily and for free.
I’m not really sure if anyone has made a website using it yet. I know it’s been downloaded several times, but I haven’t seen any sites, other than my own, using it. Furthermore, I haven’t advertised it, plus Zonelets still exists, so it’s not that surprising it’s not getting much attention.
Accessibility
During the reworking of DeadLogs, I tried to work on the basic accessibility of the page layouts and colors using the Wave tool. I’m not that worried about that, but something that does worry me is how accessible DeadLogs is. This worry can be categorized into two different compartments: 1) can it be understood, and 2) the performance.
Can it be Understood?
I’m not really involved in the indie web community (I’d like to!); therefore, I have no friends that could look over or give their opinions on DeadLogs. I did write a guide and multiple code comments to help people get started using DeadLogs and personalize it. I’m unsure if it’s any good or easily understood. Honestly, I think this one is mostly a personal insecurity, since I haven’t gotten any feedback for it at all.
The Performance
Due to DeadLogs not really being a static site generator, like Hugo and Jekyll, it relies on Javascript to generate the navigation links on the client side. To properly navigate the sites, Javascript needs to be enabled, and the visitors’ browser needs to be able to run it. Taking the Javascript out isn’t an option unless I want the future users of DeadLogs to have to manually add all the navigation for each post. I don’t want to do that.
The Future of DeadLogs
I already plan on trying to update DeadLogs with additional features, like how this blog allows you to change the font and the option to toggle between themes, but other than that, I don’t have many ideas. I thought about creating a tagging system, but I’m not sure if that would be the best idea.
Besides those features, I’m not sure if I’ll actually further DeadLogs. Unless there’s a sudden pick-up in users, or I have some epiphany, it’s basically dead. Pun intended.