IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Blogging with Gleam, Org-Mode and Pandoc

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Simplicity – “just write”
Many commenters argue that the priority should be getting words down, not wrestling with tooling.
- “The smartest approach is simply to write, regardless of the platform.” – mad44
- “I prefer to write words not code. I use WordPress because it hides all the complexity and lets me just write instead of messing with Markdown…” – writtenone

2. Familiarity and muscle‑memory drive productivity
People stick with the environment they know best because it feels effortless and keeps them creating.
- “Someone who spends his day in emacs writing code and org-mode for work will have the muscle‑memory and lisp knowledge to make emacs and org-mode as easy for him as WordPress is for you.” – Telemakhos
- “Since giving up that setup… I’ve been silent.” – Telemakhos (referring to abandoning a comfortable, albeit arcane, mail‑and‑writing workflow)

3. Technical flexibility – leveraging existing tools (org‑mode, pandoc, etc.)
Several users show how modest tweaks to familiar systems can turn them into viable blogging platforms, trading a bit of setup for powerful features.
- “Org-mode can already generate HTML. A little bit of Emacs Lisp turns it into a blogging engine.” – throwaway81523
- “I mentioned org‑publish… this current setup with Gleam is more like an experiment and I get a lot of stuff for free that took me a while to get it working in my personal blog (like syntax highlighting, RSS, etc).” – schonfinkel

🚀 Project Ideas

OrgSite

Summary

  • A static site generator that converts Org‑mode files into secure, fast blogs with zero‑config deployment.
  • Core value: lets writers “just write” in Org‑mode while getting automatic HTTPS, syntax highlighting, RSS, and one‑click hosting.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Developers, researchers, academics who use Emacs/Org‑mode and want a low‑maintenance blog
Core Feature Org‑mode parsing, built‑in syntax highlighting, RSS feed generation, automatic Let's Encrypt HTTPS, one‑click CI/CD to Vercel/Netlify
Tech Stack Go (binary), go‑org parser, Hugo‑style templates, Docker
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • HN commenters praised org‑mode for blogging but missed features like syntax highlighting and RSS (see schonfinkel); OrgSite supplies them out‑of‑the‑box.
  • Enables the “write, don’t fiddle” mindset while providing the security and simplicity that WordPress lacks.

WriteHub

Summary

  • A self‑hosted, open‑source blogging platform with a modern WYSIWYG editor that feels like WordPress but built on Tiptap/React, with plug‑in‑free security.
  • Core value: non‑technical writers focus on content; developers get a clean, auditable codebase and easy Markdown/Org import.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Bloggers, small businesses, hobby writers who want WordPress‑like ease without its security baggage
Core Feature Tiptap‑based rich‑text editor, real‑time preview, markdown/org‑mode import, automatic security updates via Docker, multi‑user support
Tech Stack Node.js (Next.js), Tiptap, PostgreSQL, Docker, Caddy for HTTPS
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: SaaS hosted plan $9/mo, self‑hosted free

Notes

  • Writtenone lamented Ghost’s editor and the lack of a secure open‑source alternative; WriteHub fills that gap.
  • Telemakhos noted the comfort of a familiar setup; WriteHub offers that familiarity with better security and extensibility.

Blogiterm

Summary

  • A terminal‑based, distraction‑free writing client that stores drafts locally and can publish to any static site or API‑driven blog with a single keystroke.
  • Core value: gives Emacs/vim veterans the muscle‑memory of Alpine/terminal mail while providing a seamless path to publish blogs.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Power users, sysadmins, writers who live in the terminal and want to avoid GUI distractions
Core Feature Editor (micro/vim keybindings), autosave, Org‑mode/Markdown support, one‑command publish via SSH/Git or REST API to platforms like WriteHub, OrgSite, or WordPress
Tech Stack Go (binary), termbox‑go or GNU readline, optional Lua scripting
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Throwaway81523 described years of productive writing with Alpine mail; Blogiterm revives that terminal workflow for blogging.
  • Schonkfinkel’s desire for a simple templating system in elisp is satisfied by writing in Org‑mode and exporting via built‑in pandoc‑like conversion.

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