So, I’d love to start my own small Internet blog, and I want to make it without any extra software, just plain HTML+CSS, maybe some PHP for convenience.
I have near-zero experience in programming (yes I know HTML is not programming language, but you get the point), and I just finished a wonderful starting guide, HTML For People. I loved it a lot, but it only covers the absolute basics, and I’d love to have a deeper dive.
Are there any HTML, CSS, PHP guides that are free, text-based (so, not YouTube videos), and give more than the very basics? Would love to hear your recommendations!
Honestly, just start building. You don’t need full tutorial to learn how to write code. Read other code, write your own, and if you get stuck, ask LLMs(honestly the best use of LLMs).
That being said, even a simple blog requires considerable amount of thoughts. It will take long, definitely longer than you want it to be, but it will be worth it.
I also advise you to start with Python, not PHP.
For now I feel like Python is just way overkill for a small personal blog that is mostly static anyway, I just want things like self-updating menus and stuff to have a little less maintenance burden going forward. But maybe I’ll reconsider as I go. In any case, my Python skills are very basic, and, applied to web development - just non-existent. It will take a while indeed.
I will probably end up reviewing what others have made, but for now I tried it and I feel it a bit overwhelming. I’d rather figure out documented use of all these elements and then read through it with good basic knowledge on my hands.
If it’s about having a blog up and running and less about learning how to code, go for static site generators like Hugo. You can use existing themes or use your HTML/CSS skill to make it completely yours. I’m sure you don’t need PHP or any other backend at all.
Thanks for the recommendation!
It’s a bit of both. For now, the goal is to be able to create and maintain a decently looking blog without depending on any external tools, completely manually. Then, as I get comfortable managing things manually and make sure I can always fix what’s broken with nothing but a text editor, I may look into various helper options. Essentially, I just don’t want to be caught in a situation when some tools are down and I can’t do anything without them.
I’d also like to learn HTML+CSS+PHP combo, because some of the things I want to self-host make extensive use of that and I’d like to understand their inner workings to service them reliably.
That said, I’ll keep your Python advice in mind!