HTML for People
Learning and science
web development tutorial
SHOW HN2024
677points
220comments
#30of 3,515 in 2024
Top 1%of 2024 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
21 positive, 30 neutral or asking, 3 mixed, 11 critical, out of 65 comments about the project. Thread score +0.16.
Idea: 11 for, 6 againstDocs: 7 for, 4 againstDesign: 2 for, 0 againstExecution: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Welcoming, well-written tutorial that starts simple
From 3 comments
This is great. I love you how started with a tiny HTML file and didn't immediately ask the user to install NodeJS and VS Code and a ton of other webdev shit.
henning on HNWell done! I really like how you make people write bare text, publish it and bam, that works, just like this, and how you ease into html. The text is very well written,…
jraph on HNI plan to dig in deeper, but this looks like a great introduction to building websites. I teach a one semester high school Web Design class and currently use a mixture of lessons…
jimbosis on HN
Important goal of putting HTML in non-professional hands
From 3 comments
I think the fundamental approach being taken by this project is immensely valuable to the world. This kind of education about open standards might actually be the most powerful…
mightybyte on HNI have tried so many times to convince non-technical people that they can put together their own website quite easily, but so often they think I'm joking and that it requires a…
messo on HNWe sorely need more of this. HTML was the first language I actually understood (although BASIC was my first ever), and left me feeling empowered to carve out my own survival on…
stego-tech on HN
Objections
Assumes file and folder skills many users lack
From 3 comments
I love the idea and I'm thrilled to see more sites like this out there. But I do think this assumes a level of computer literacy that isn't consistent with typical, non-technical…
forbiddenvoid on HN> Step 1. Create a folder on your computer I don't need to read farther than this, I'm never going to recommend this over freecodecamp. Let alone that a lot of people are usually…
RheingoldRiver on HNThis is great. The decision to skip CSS by depending on https://simplecss.org/ is smart - CSS is a whole other thing, and having that on top of basic HTML would be pretty…
simonw on HN
Suggests VS Code, which some see as heavy or privacy-unfriendly
From 1 comment
Well done! I really like how you make people write bare text, publish it and bam, that works, just like this, and how you ease into html. The text is very well written,…
jraph on HN
Browser File menu instructions are outdated
From 1 comment
>Alternatively, you can launch your browser first, click File > Open File…, then navigate to your index.html file. Uh, I don't think browsers have had the File toolbar for a long…
worble on HN
Requests
Guidance on files and folders for beginners
From 2 comments
This is great. The decision to skip CSS by depending on https://simplecss.org/ is smart - CSS is a whole other thing, and having that on top of basic HTML would be pretty…
simonw on HNOP here. Yeah, I was a bit worried about this, and even though I kind of mentioned it in the introduction, I think it deserves more attention. I'm not sure if I want to write…
blakewatson on HN
Translations and i18n support
From 2 comments
I have tried so many times to convince non-technical people that they can put together their own website quite easily, but so often they think I'm joking and that it requires a…
messo on HNYes! I would love that. I need to update the readme, but I think my strategy would be to place translated chapters in a subfolder, (eg, "/es"). I can configure Eleventy to…
blakewatson on HN
Hosting guidance for custom domains
From 1 comment
I think this is great, my biggest stumbling block is deploying what I've created. I have a domain and need a host. The paragraph about deploying only covers hosting by a service…
itohihiyt on HN
Questions
Why not frame it as writing rather than coding
From 2 comments
Why, “Start coding already!” rather than something like, “Start writing already?” I think half the barrier to people building sites is that they think they need to know how to…
aardvark179 on HNOP here. Oooh that’s a good suggestion. Yeah it’s hard to shed the webdev persona and see it through fresh eyes—even though I specifically tried to do just that!
blakewatson on HN
Whether a PDF version is available
From 1 comment
Nicely done! Might be cool to offer a PDF version? It would be nice to zoom out and see all the content at once. Here's my user test:…
breck on HN
Alternatives named
Neocities
From 2 comments
I love the order of tutorial, starting simple to deploy something first: 1. Use Notepad/TextEdit to create a plain text index.html. 2. Deploy index.html to Neocities or similar.…
divbzero on HNI'm happy to see more people recommending Neocities :D
AlienRobot on HN
freeCodeCamp
From 1 comment
> Step 1. Create a folder on your computer I don't need to read farther than this, I'm never going to recommend this over freecodecamp. Let alone that a lot of people are usually…
RheingoldRiver on HN
Internet Is Hard and UW AccessComputing web design lessons
From 1 comment
I plan to dig in deeper, but this looks like a great introduction to building websites. I teach a one semester high school Web Design class and currently use a mixture of lessons…
jimbosis on HN