I Blog with Raw HTML

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Debating what “raw HTML” means

  • Many argue the blog is not “raw HTML” because posts are written in Markdown and rendered via JavaScript in the browser; with JS disabled, users see unrendered Markdown and broken links/images.
  • Some say “raw HTML” should mean hand-authored HTML served as-is, without build steps, third‑party JS, or client-side transformations.
  • Others note that even this blog’s HTML is technically invalid (HTML4 doctype with HTML5 elements) and that browsers’ forgiving nature blurs what “HTML” practically means.
  • There’s a related debate about “static” sites: user-perspective (no code needed to view the page) vs developer-perspective (served as static files, even if heavy client-side JS makes it dynamic).

Critiques of the specific blog

  • Reliance on JS to turn Markdown into HTML contradicts the “raw HTML” framing and causes visible “markdown flash” on load.
  • People criticize the lack of minimal styling and reader-mode support, while noting that even “raw HTML” can be pleasant with a tiny amount of CSS.
  • Some see the “raw HTML” claim as an excuse to skip themes and design, or as a slightly performative “less tech than you” flex.

RSS and tooling

  • The original concern about missing RSS generates several suggestions:
    • Manually maintain an RSS XML file alongside posts.
    • Use a simple script or static-site-like tooling (pandoc, custom scripts) to emit both HTML and RSS.
    • Use a GitHub Action that scrapes the site and produces a feed, then redirect /feed to it.
  • A few commenters mention writing RSS by hand as “raw XML,” or building small custom web servers that add RSS and sitemaps on top of raw HTML directories.

Static site generators, longevity, and hassle

  • Some defend static site generators (Hugo, etc.) as stable enough if you avoid needless upgrades.
  • Others report abandoned tools (e.g., Node-based generators) becoming painful due to old runtimes and dependencies, which motivates sticking to plain HTML files.
  • There’s disagreement over whether hand-editing HTML is simpler in the long run or an unnecessary chore compared to SSGs or Markdown-based workflows.

Alternatives, nostalgia, and humor

  • Alternatives raised: Gemini protocol, plain-text or Markdown-first blogs, org-mode, Emacs macros, SSI includes.
  • The thread contains a lot of playful one‑upmanship (blogging in machine code, SGML, stone tablets) and meta-critique of the trend of blogging about ultra-minimal stacks as if they were noteworthy feats.