Date: 2022-08-29
(An extended review.)
I may have discontinued the blog, but my habits haven't changed. Still up to my usual shenanigans, such as periodically checking out the CMS market. This time, HTMLy, an entry I previously overlooked because it didn't fit my needs at the time.
![Screenshot from a fairly typical blog with a simple light theme and the usual widgets in the sidebar. Screenshot from a fairly typical blog with a simple light theme and the usual widgets in the sidebar.](http://nosycat.notimetoplay.org/uploads/Blog/htmly.png)
Turns out it's otherwise worth considering due to a combination of qualities:
- It's actively maintained as of this writing.
- It really works for a change.
- It has a unique mix of useful features.
Of the latter, two in particular stand out to me:
- It supports multiple post types: links, quotes, images and more, so you can make a tumblelog.
- It can import RSS feeds (literally just RSS 2.0), which is useful for seeding the blog, or in my case testing.
Otherwise it's a simple app: no rich text editor (but you get Markdown), and no editing the sidebar unless you customize the theme. That looks easy to do, if a little convoluted, but I've been wrong before. Either way, HTMLy ships with half a dozen themes, and a few more can be found on the site. Other notes:
- You can use it to make a site, blog or both.
- It supports both "read more" links and automatic summaries.
- Security is a top concern of the developer.
Speaking of that: one user is created at install time, while others must be added manually. Plugins seem to be supported, but none are available. You can upload images, but not manage them afterwards. For some people (and use cases), this simplicity will be welcome, and that's reason enough to keep it in mind. Enjoy!
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