90 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
90 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
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# About FolderWeb
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FolderWeb is a minimalist PHP framework designed for simplicity, longevity, and maintainability. It's built on a simple philosophy: **just enough, nothing more**.
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## Philosophy
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Modern web development has become unnecessarily complex. Build tools, package managers, JavaScript frameworks that change every few months—it's exhausting and unsustainable.
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FolderWeb is different. It's built to:
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- **Work for decades** without requiring constant updates
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- **Be understandable** by reading a few hundred lines of code
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- **Stay maintainable** without specialized knowledge
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- **Load fast** with no JavaScript overhead
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- **Just work** without configuration or setup
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## Design Principles
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### Minimalism
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Use only what is strictly necessary. No frameworks, no build tools, no package managers for frontend code. Every line of code must justify its existence.
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### File-Based Everything
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Your folder structure is your URL structure. Drop a file in a folder and it's instantly accessible. No routes to configure, no databases to set up.
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### Override, Never Modify
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Custom templates and styles go in `/custom/` and automatically override defaults. The core files in `/app/default/` remain untouched and updateable.
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### Modern Standards
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Use modern PHP 8.3+ features and modern CSS capabilities. Avoid JavaScript entirely—it's not needed for content-focused sites.
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## Technology Stack
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### Backend
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- **PHP 8.3+** - Modern PHP with type hints, arrow functions, match expressions
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- **Apache** - With mod_rewrite for clean URLs
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- **Parsedown** - Simple, reliable Markdown parser
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### Frontend
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- **HTML5** - Semantic markup following best practices
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- **CSS3** - Modern features like Grid, clamp(), OKLCH colors, CSS nesting
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- **No JavaScript** - By design, for faster loads and simpler maintenance
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## What It's Not
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FolderWeb is **not**:
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- A CMS with an admin panel
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- A single-page application framework
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- A solution for complex web applications
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- Trying to scale to millions of users
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- Following current trends and fads
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## What It Is
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FolderWeb **is**:
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- A simple way to publish content
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- A foundation that will work for decades
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- A teaching tool for web fundamentals
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- A protest against unnecessary complexity
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- Perfect for documentation, blogs, portfolios, small business sites
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## Use Cases
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FolderWeb excels at:
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- **Documentation sites** - Clear structure, easy to navigate
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- **Personal blogs** - Simple publishing workflow
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- **Portfolio sites** - Showcase your work without bloat
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- **Small business sites** - Professional presence without complexity
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- **Project pages** - Quick site for your open source project
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## Who Created This?
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FolderWeb emerged from frustration with modern web development complexity. It's built for developers who appreciate simplicity and maintainability over features and frameworks.
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## License
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FolderWeb is open source. Check the repository for license details.
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## Get Started
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Ready to build something simple and lasting?
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1. Create a `/content` folder
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2. Add your first `.md` file
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3. That's it—you're publishing
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No build step. No npm install. No configuration files. Just content.
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