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folderweb/app/default/content/about/page.md
Ruben 4c697122ab Add demo content and documentation for FolderWeb 
Add about page with project philosophy and technical details

Add articles about Markdown, templates, and getting started

Implement demo content system that shows when no user content exists

Update logo to show FolderWeb branding

Improve Apache configuration for development environment
2025-11-01 16:47:15 +01:00

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About FolderWeb

FolderWeb is a minimalist PHP framework designed for simplicity, longevity, and maintainability. It's built on a simple philosophy: just enough, nothing more.

Philosophy

Modern web development has become unnecessarily complex. Build tools, package managers, JavaScript frameworks that change every few months—it's exhausting and unsustainable.

FolderWeb is different. It's built to:

  • Work for decades without requiring constant updates
  • Be understandable by reading a few hundred lines of code
  • Stay maintainable without specialized knowledge
  • Load fast with no JavaScript overhead
  • Just work without configuration or setup

Design Principles

Minimalism

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.

File-Based Everything

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.

Override, Never Modify

Custom templates and styles go in /custom/ and automatically override defaults. The core files in /app/default/ remain untouched and updateable.

Modern Standards

Use modern PHP 8.3+ features and modern CSS capabilities. Avoid JavaScript entirely—it's not needed for content-focused sites.

Technology Stack

Backend

  • PHP 8.3+ - Modern PHP with type hints, arrow functions, match expressions
  • Apache - With mod_rewrite for clean URLs
  • Parsedown - Simple, reliable Markdown parser

Frontend

  • HTML5 - Semantic markup following best practices
  • CSS3 - Modern features like Grid, clamp(), OKLCH colors, CSS nesting
  • No JavaScript - By design, for faster loads and simpler maintenance

What It's Not

FolderWeb is not:

  • A CMS with an admin panel
  • A single-page application framework
  • A solution for complex web applications
  • Trying to scale to millions of users
  • Following current trends and fads

What It Is

FolderWeb is:

  • A simple way to publish content
  • A foundation that will work for decades
  • A teaching tool for web fundamentals
  • A protest against unnecessary complexity
  • Perfect for documentation, blogs, portfolios, small business sites

Use Cases

FolderWeb excels at:

  • Documentation sites - Clear structure, easy to navigate
  • Personal blogs - Simple publishing workflow
  • Portfolio sites - Showcase your work without bloat
  • Small business sites - Professional presence without complexity
  • Project pages - Quick site for your open source project

Who Created This?

FolderWeb emerged from frustration with modern web development complexity. It's built for developers who appreciate simplicity and maintainability over features and frameworks.

License

FolderWeb is open source. Check the repository for license details.

Get Started

Ready to build something simple and lasting?

  1. Create a /content folder
  2. Add your first .md file
  3. That's it—you're publishing

No build step. No npm install. No configuration files. Just content.