When I set out to created this blog, as noted in my Blogging the hard way article, I had a couple key objectives that I wanted to pursue:
- Reproducible and static
- Meaning highly portable
- Minimal configuration required
- Markdown content and generate
And most importantly - Open - as in anyone can look at the repository and see every single detail that makes this site run. If I inspire even one person to have some fun exploring Hugo and the adventure that is serving content to the world from the comfort of their own home - then I’d call it a success.
Openness
Why the emphasis on open though?
We live in a world where information is not freely available to all. There are those without access for which there is still a long journey ahead. But there are those who are censored from access to both the production and consumption of information that goes against the very philosophy that myself and others hold true - A free and secure world.
Portability
Part of the experiment that interests me, and will be very difficult to understand, is how to potentially overcome those hurdles but also pave the way for others to explore a means of producing content.
This whole repository is portable in nature - should someone come across it - they can clone and run it on their local machine. Maybe you don’t have a local machine but more of a shared resource - it can go there too. Need it in the airgap? package and deploy it there no-problem.
There are a number of solutions that solve for a similar problem. Essentially archiving of data in such a way that it can be put on a storage device and physically moved and then deployed to host the data for access. I’ve spoke to various Educational Tech companies (many non-profit) about a common interest and understanding that there is value to be had in the same vein of making content available in degraded or limited connectivity environments - which is easier said than done.
Collaboration
Another idea - feel free to steal it - was the creation of an Open Source organization for the specific purpose of producing content that centers around solving for problems that serve the greater good/mission. There is a lot happening in open-source and representation matters to everyone. I believe we’re missing more insight from those deep into the mission implementation who live and breath developing to solve problems that influence peoples lives as opposed to sales of some product.
Sometimes it isn’t always clean - but the data could be an enabler for someone building a solution that enables the original problem to no longer be relevant.
Progress
A little all over the place here - but the point stands that we can enable positive progress by making data ubiquitous. Will you enable that progress by contributing and having a voice?