Hello, Field Notes
What this site is, how it is built, and what to expect here.
Field Notes
Notes on building software, published from markdown files.
Writing the first draft fast
Why the first draft should be written in one sitting, and how to make that possible.
A note on naming things
Names are the cheapest documentation you will ever write.
Keeping a changelog by hand
Generated changelogs list commits; a written one tells the reader what changed for them.
The case for static sites
A site that is only files has nothing to break at three in the morning.
Markdown is enough
Plain text with a little structure outlives every editor that tried to replace it.
Reading logs before guessing
One observed value beats thirty minutes of plausible theories.
Small commits
The commit is the undo button; keep it within reach.
Feeds still work
RSS and Atom are the quietest, most durable way to publish.
Tests for the next person
A test is a sentence about behaviour that a machine keeps true.