Derek Jones Move over will you…!
I’m not into social media; I’ve tried it, but I didn’t really get into it or like it. I found it too stressful and time-consuming. I have a work and a personal website, the personal, which I hosted using a flat CMS app called Bludit. It was quick, easy to use and very configurable. It’s still a live site here. It’s also mobile-friendly. Not bad.
One day during a server update, I was having a sniff around in the Yunohost catalogue and saw a flat-file blogging app called Pure Blog, and thought that I’d give it a spin.
The installation and setup are a breeze. Be sure to complete the post-install as soon as you have done the main install, ie, you set the user, password and site details. Have a look at the excellent Pure Blog docs for your type of install, as mine is all packaged up by the Yunohost community.
Once installed and you log in to the admin area, you will be up and running in no time. It’s very simple and very straightforward to write and edit content. The app is very well written and easy to use. Being a flat file app, there is no database to piss about with.
Uploading and dropping pictures into your content is simple and straightforward.
This is a blogging app, not an all singing all dancing web building app. It’s a no nonsense, easy-to-use blogging app (hate that word. Blogging. euuk!). If you are after photo carousels, setting up a shop online or clever stuff, then this is not the app for you. Pure Blog is very configurable with a bit of HTML, but if you are just after a quick way to say something with photos, then it’s an absolute winner. I'm not into comments, so it's a function I don't need. If you have something to say, just email me. For me, life is very simple in the online world.
Fortunately, because I’m not a regular internet writer, I didn’t really have a lot of posts to transfer from Bludit to Pure Blog. With Pure Blog, you can do both HTML and Markdown. I like Markdown, so I converted all my HTML posts from Bludit to Pure Blog using CodeBeautify, an online converter. Once all the posts were converted and put into new posts in Pure Blog, I just cleaned up some details, like descriptions and dates, and I was finished.
What you are looking at here are the fruits of my labours. I write when I see or do something reasonably interesting, so I'm not a regular, although the ease and speed of using Pure Blog could change that. Maybe.
In all, a very pleasant experience. If you have more posts to move over, then it might take a while, but there are some importers available from Pure Blog; sadly, Bludit was not on the list.
In Summary
I love it… It’s well written, easy to install, quick and responsive, with just the right amount of functionality, for me anyway, an internet loner! And it has Markdown and HTML edditing editing; it’s nice and quick to get posts up with pictures using a mobile device when you are out and about. Problems or issues? For what I want and how I use it, I’ve not found anything yet; I might as I get into it more. You do need a little Markdown or HTML knowledge as there are no format buttons in the form of a ribbon in the editor. I like that, though; it's fuss-free, and I get by with Markdown, but for now, I really do like it. Kevin Quirk is the author and runs a great site for Pure Blog as well as a suite of Pure apps called Pure Commons. And the best part...? It's free, but don't be a sap, contribute or make a donation. The guy has passion, and that passion should be rewarded. Give it a go, and move over, will you! {.boxedIn}