<p>Welcome to Blessfrey.me, my webdev playground written in BottlePy! Twice a month, God willing, I share my gamedev projects, art, Bible study, and personal reflections. Originally in <a href="https://www.php.net/docs.php">PHP</a>, Blessfrey.me now thrives on the efficiency of the <a href="https://bottlepy.org/docs/dev/">Bottle</a> Python web framework. To celebrate my website, I'll share some of my front end and back end code, as well as the evolution of my design philosophy. </p>
<p>Welcome to Blessfrey.me, my webdev playground written in BottlePy! Twice a month, God willing, I post my projects and personal reflections. Originally in <a href="https://www.php.net/docs.php">PHP</a>, Blessfrey.me now thrives on <a href="https://bottlepy.org/docs/dev/">Bottle</a> Python web framework. To celebrate my website, I'll share some of my front end and back end code, as well as the evolution of my design philosophy. </p>
<h2>Why not use a premade blogging platform like WordPress? </h2>
<p>Generalized blogging platforms are overkill, as Blessfrey.me is mostly a few static pages and a blog. Unused features bog down the website and pose potential security vulnerabilities. And prominent blogging platforms like WordPress are flooded with features. </p>
@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ def diary(page):
<h2>Of course, design is its own beast you'll have to figure out on your own. </h2>
<p>As I've attempted to emulate my favorite odd blogs and coding experiments from the 90s and 00s, Blessfrey.me has used <a href="https://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp">HTML</a>, <a href="https://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp">CSS</a>, <a href="https://www.php.net/docs.php">PHP<a/>, <a href="https://bottlepy.org/docs/dev/">BottlePy</a>, <a href="https://bottlepy.org/docs/dev/stpl.html">SimpleTemplate</a>, <a href="https://httpd.apache.org/">Apache</a>, <a href="https://www.nginx.com/">NGINX</a>, <a href="https://www.jenkins.io/doc/book/">Jenkins</a>, <a href="https://docs.ansible.com/">Ansible</a>, my husband's LazyWiki, and maybe other stuff, who knows? I think following a dream like that is a fun way to learn more than following a stuffy textbook or sticking to rigid website makers. After all, the more personal your requirements, the more likely you'll have to figure it out on your own. </p>
<p>It also leads you to explore all those existential questions like "What is even the point of having a website?" The evolution of the overall design and content mix reflects that journey. I began by taking heavy inspiration from the most iconic promotional Japanese websites for 00s Playstation and PSP otome games. (All are now broken with the loss of <a href="https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html">Adobe Flash Player</a>.) It looked cool, but what's the point when I had no playable game for Blessfrey? Over time, I slowly adjusted to what actually suited my Godot RPG dream project, Blessfrey.</p>
<p>Ithink a dream also leads you to explore all those existential questions like "What is even the point of having a website?" The evolution of the overall design and content mix reflects that journey. I began by taking heavy inspiration from iconic promotional Japanese websites for Playstation and PSP otome games. (All are now broken with the loss of <a href="https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html">Adobe Flash Player</a>.) It looked cool, but what's the point when I had no playable game for Blessfrey? Over time, I slowly adjusted to what actually suited my Godot RPG dream project, Blessfrey.</p>
<p>As I actually used my website, I yearned to include a broader range of content. It took years to shake out all my preconceived notions of what makes a cool website and all the boring, samey advice shared by online husslers. A laser-tight focus might work for businesses, but it's lame to narrow your personal showcase into a niche. I much prefer having a cute, comfy little site that accomodates anything I might make. </p>
<p>For example, the most random thing I've integrated is my <a href="https://wiki.blessfrey.me/view/Blessfrey">Bible study notes wiki</a>. Someone at church was unable to take a class that I had attended and wished to see my notes. My notes are comprehensive but unfortunately were completely inaccessible without setting up my family's private wiki software on a Linux computer and controlling it with the terminal. With a few changes, though, everyone can see my notes at Blessfrey.me's <a href="https://wiki.blessfrey.me/view/Blessfrey">wiki</a>! It's convenient to be able to access it on my phone and adds some value for other people, so why omit it? </p>
<p>It's pivots like that that let me get all the mileage out of my server rent and really fall in love with webdev. It took about 4 years of janky CSS and meandering purpose, but Blessfrey.me is finally something I proudly show to other people. :) </p>
@ -182,5 +182,5 @@ def diary(page):
<p>Or you can keep using blogging platforms or social media or whatever works for you. But at least admit it's cute to build your own playground! If you really decide to, be easy on yourself and open-minded while exploring webdev. Your site won't be perfect at first, but be honest about your needs and dreams, and you'll get there! See ya. </p>
chimchooree
9 months ago