As a software developer, having a personal website serves as both a portfolio and a space for technical writing. After considering various options, I settled on using Jekyll with GitHub Pages for its simplicity and focus on content.

Why Jekyll?

Jekyll provides an excellent balance between customization and simplicity. Its static site generation means:

  1. Fast loading times with minimal overhead
  2. No database or server-side processing required
  3. Simple deployment through GitHub Pages
  4. Markdown-based content that’s easy to write and maintain
# Starting a new Jekyll site is as simple as:
gem install jekyll bundler
jekyll new my-site
cd my-site
bundle exec jekyll serve

Choosing a Minimal Design

For my personal site, I wanted something reminiscent of gwern.net - focusing on content with minimal distractions. To achieve this, I modified the default Minima theme with custom CSS that emphasizes:

  1. Typography with comfortable line height and font size
  2. Limited color palette (mostly blacks and blues)
  3. Single-column layout that keeps content front and center
  4. Clear section dividers that help organize information

What’s Next

This site will grow to include:

  • Project documentation and case studies
  • Technical writing on software engineering topics
  • Experiments with web technologies
  • Learning notes and research summaries

I invite you to check back as I continue to develop both the site and its content.