While web publishing originally consisted of static HTML and CSS assets, the database-backed content management system soon took over as the dominant web publishing model. This talk investigates the rise of static site generators and discusses how these new light-weight static tools can often offer significant benefits over the traditional CMS.

Topics will include:

what is a static site generator

when are static site generators a good fit

overview of static site generator options

static site generator installation

markup formats (e.g., Markdown, reStructuredText, Asciidoc)

how to write content

how to generate the site

how (and where) to publish the site

Attendees of this talk will walk away fully equipped to install a static site generator, write content in Markdown format, and publish their new sites with a minimum of effort.