OBR Refactor

https://github.com/the-coded-type/open-blog-revolution

Still working on refactoring OBR, the blog framework for heavy writers. One of the reasons things are going a bit slow on this refactoring job is that I am not always sure who OBR is for: savvy users, padawan coders, or writers? With time, I have realized that there is quite a steep learning curve to getting into OBR, and code averse folks tend to step aside when they cross paths with it.

This, plus the release of Slow Press (more below) and a big OBR based commission I just got, helped me figure out who OBR is for and how I should refactor it: folks who are not scared of getting their hands dirty with code, at least a tiny bit.

Lots of the hesitations were about how much default configs should take care of stuff, and how to handle failures: silently to keep things working, or loudly to let things break for devs to fix them. Now I know which path to follow.

Slow Press test release

http://slowpress.pub/

Slow Press, as you know, is OBR’s little sister: a much simpler, configless, hassle free publishing platform for individuals and communities. The test website runs until the end of May. Meanwhile, I am collecting user feedback.

How it works: upload a folder of markdown files and Slow Press turns it into a website at runtime. That is it. If you fancy it, add some styles, start a blog, or tweak it. The plan is to release the code in two flavors: Solo, for self-hosting markdown powered blogs and websites, and Community for libraries, associations, schools, and local communities who want to give their members digital spaces to write and publish.

Hop on http://slowpress.pub/ and give it a try.

Pixel and Paper

https://github.com/the-coded-type/pixel-and-paper

Pixel and Paper, the markdown to PDF live editor, is going through some rewrites as well. I am experimenting with a new rendering engine that is faster and more opinionated (as in: you will stick to the baseline I am telling you!).

Right now, editing huge documents causes some lagging; the goal is to make things as smooth as possible.

Here is a proof of concept: 500 pages of Moby Dick, laid out in 600ms for the first pass, and the second pass is down to 60ms thanks to some basic caching (memoizing, actually). Which means faster updates on content change! https://thecodedtype.com/mobydick/

As PagedJS (the engine that powers P&P) is preparing a v2 release later this year, in the end, I might just adopt this. But I am not sure how easy it is going to be to plug some caching mechanism into it, and anyway, working on a better P&P engine helps me understand it better.

If you want to come and chat about any of these projects, you can hop into The Coded Type chat room on Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#the-coded-type:matrix.org