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---
title: "Fresh Coat of Paint, Hall of Fame, and Blog Posts"
layout: post
summary: "Explaining the recent changes and additions to the 1MB Club project website"
---

Things are looking a little different around here. In case it wasn't obvious already, 1MB Club has received a visual overhaul. New pages have also been added to the project website. These include an [about page](/about), the new [official blog](/blog) and a more streamlined [submission page](/submit).

My hope is that this makes the project more approachable for those less knowledgeable about web technology. Moving some of my older posts (and also adding new ones) here seemed like a better place for them to call home. I'll still write on my [personal blog](https://tdarb.org), but all web-based articles/tutorials will be posted here instead.

This just makes more sense since most web tutorials and experiments require live demos / code examples. My personal website is generated using only plain text files - so that makes rendering demos somewhat difficult. (Not to mention less accessible)

## Visual Inspiration

Some readers might already recognize the design influence used for this update: the Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page. It's a small piece of nostalgia since I so frequently saw that page in my earlier days of web development. It just feels like a simpler time of the internet.

I've even uploaded a static version for comparison here: [https://apache-index.netlify.app](https://apache-index.netlify.app/)

You might have also noticed that the members are once again listed in order of page size. I had originally placed a simple script on the homepage that would randomize the order on every page visit. This was added in hopes to deter those wishing to simply "game the system" or have their links placed at the very top (because that's so important?). But changing the order on refresh ended up hurting the *fun* of exploring the club's websites. Having things set in a formatted list just makes the experience cleaner. Also, the homepage is now JavaScript free!

We'll keep it this way for now and circle back if any issues come up.

## "Hall of Fame" Explained

I need to make one thing clear before moving on: **the "Hall of Fame" is completely optional**.

Anyone can still freely [submit](/submit) their website for membership to the 1MB Club. This resource will always remain completely free and the source code is available on [Github](https://github.com/bradleytaunt/1mb-club).

The inclusion of this "Hall of Fame" section on the homepage allows those who wish to support this project to do so. These donations also help fund the creation of new blog posts.

I should stress this again: **this is completely optional**.

This idea originally came to me when I was reviewing previous donations on my [Buy Me a Coffee page](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/WQTMtn7ir) and realized I should thank these people more than with a simple 'chat' message. So, I thought up a way to "immortalize" them by placing their existing membership websites in a [Hall of Fame](/#hof)[^1] at the top of the main homepage. Some might find it tacky but I like it.

## Moving Forward

I wish to have this project continue to grow indefinitely. The "dream" would be to have this online resource live beyond my own lifetime[^2]. But a more realistic goal would to have this project inspire even *one single developer* to better optimize their projects and make a better web.

Either way, it will be fun to see where this project goes...

---

[^1]: I also thank them and link to the same websites at the end of every blog post.
[^2]: I know how crazy this sounds...

* footnotes will be placed here. This line is necessary
{:footnotes}