Susam Pal Champions Plain HTML Over Tooling Obsession for Personal Websites

In a refreshing counterpoint to modern web development trends, veteran developer Susam Pal has published a manifesto advocating for simplicity in personal websites. His central thesis in Writing First, Tooling Second challenges the common obsession with tooling that often stalls content creation: "Just write plain HTML and worry about tooling later."

Pal draws from his two-decade experience maintaining his personal website susam.net, which began as handwritten HTML files created in Notepad on Windows 98. He emphasizes that his site evolved organically—starting with basic HTML, later adopting frames for consistency, transitioning to PHP, and only incorporating blog-like features years after initial publication. This gradual approach contrasts sharply with today's common pattern where developers spend weeks configuring static site generators, themes, and deployment pipelines only to publish minimal content.

Why does this resonate with developers? First, it addresses the paralysis many face when starting personal projects. As Pal observes, discussions about personal websites inevitably drift toward tool selection—blogging engines, static site generators, templating languages—diverting energy from actual content creation. His solution is pragmatic: publish at least five articles using the simplest possible method before considering automation.

Second, Pal challenges the assumption that every personal site must be a blog. "A website can just as well be a collection of pages," he notes, pointing to sections of his own site that remain outside the blog format. This validates developers who prefer non-chronological or unconventional content organization.

Third, the approach champions web decentralization. By encouraging self-hosted sites on personal domains, Pal argues we create "a web made up of many small, individually run websites [that's] more resilient and interesting" than platform-dominated alternatives. This preserves author autonomy against changing policies or disappearing services.

Pal does offer concessions for those averse to HTML: lightweight markup like Markdown processed through tools like Pandoc is acceptable when it reduces friction. However, he warns against letting tooling become "the main ceremony," noting how easily developers create "beautifully engineered website[s] whose sole content is a single 'hello world' post."

The developer community response has been notably positive. On Hacker News and programming forums, many echo Pal's frustration with over-engineering personal projects. One commenter summarized the sentiment: "This mirrors my experience—I spent months tweaking my Hugo setup before writing anything substantial. The moment I switched to basic HTML, my output tripled." Others appreciate the validation for non-blog formats and HTML-first workflows.

Some counterarguments emerge, particularly from advocates of modern static site generators who argue tools like Jekyll or Eleventy actually lower barriers to publishing. Yet even critics acknowledge Pal's core message about content prioritization remains valid. As a compromise, several developers suggest starting with simple HTML but setting a content milestone (e.g., "10 posts") before reevaluating tooling needs.

Ultimately, Pal's argument centers on enduring web principles: "Your thoughts, your ideas, your personality and quirks are the essence of your website. Everything else is optional." By refocusing on content rather than infrastructure, he provides a practical antidote to the complexity that often hinders personal publishing—a reminder that the simplest HTML file served from your own domain still fulfills the web's fundamental purpose: making your voice findable.

For developers feeling stuck in tooling debates, Pal's advice is refreshingly actionable: create a directory, write an HTML file, upload it, and repeat. The rest can follow.