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A web journey: From HTML to Git-based Markdown workflows

Olivier Carrère •
#HTML#WordPress#DITA#Markdown#Sphinx#Static Sites#Docs-as-Code#Git#Content Management

My journey with the web spans over two decades, reflecting the evolution of publishing technologies and workflows. Here’s a technical look back at the tools, formats, and lessons learned.

Early days: HTML in Notepad and generators

Back in the late 20th century, my company tasked me with creating their first website. I learned HTML from scratch and wrote pages directly in Windows Notepad. Before moving to CMS-based approaches, I experimented with HTML generators such as Dreamweaver. While these tools allowed for visual editing, I quickly found them clumsy and difficult to use for tracking changes, especially when multiple versions or edits were involved.

Web design sketch

The site was eventually published in a frames-based version, a common approach at the time despite usability limitations. Knowing the nitty-gritty details of HTML and HTTP requests laid the foundation for making informed technical decisions later — including using modern AI-assisted tools wisely to maximize performance and efficiency.

Enter CMS: SPIP and WordPress

For personal projects, I used SPIP to manage blog posts. Later, I built multiple sites — both personal and for non-profits — using WordPress. Its flexibility, plugin ecosystem, and ease of collaboration made it ideal for small teams or organizations with limited technical resources.

Structured content: DocBook and DITA

In professional settings, I shifted from general web pages to structured content. I first published DocBook content, then moved to DITA, using the DITA-OT toolkit to generate web output. Later, I used the Oxygen XML Editor to manage and publish structured content. Structured authoring separates content, presentation, and metadata, enabling more consistent, maintainable documentation.

Static site generators and lightweight markup languages

At another company, I published documentation websites using Python Sphinx, generating static HTML from reStructuredText sources.

Currently, at Unity, I use Markdown, edited either in Visual Studio Code or Emacs, which is then rendered into HTML pages. Moving away from CMSes, using version control systems such as Subversion and later Git was critical for managing changes, enabling collaboration, and maintaining a reliable history of content. This workflow emphasizes simplicity, version control, and maintainability while giving full control over the final output.

Modern web workflows: Beyond CMS

When advising a non-profit considering a move from Drupal to a Symfony-based custom site, I recommended downgrading to WordPress to maximize collaboration. Later, a developer suggested a headless CMS approach with Astro + WordPress. I proposed going further: abandoning the CMS entirely and relying on Markdown + GitHub + Astro, a lightweight, modern, and fully controllable workflow.

Lessons learned

Looking back, my web journey mirrors broader trends in web publishing:

  1. From raw HTML and generators to CMS – simplifying publishing for non-technical users.
  2. From unstructured to structured content – improving maintainability and scalability.
  3. From dynamic to static sites – emphasizing performance, version control, and simplicity.
  4. From CMS dependence to Git-based workflows – empowering collaboration without unnecessary complexity.
  5. Understanding low-level details matters – knowing HTML, HTTP, and site mechanics allows better decisions, smarter use of AI tools, and maximum performance.
  6. Version control is critical – using Subversion and Git ensures content history, safe collaboration, and structured workflows outside CMSes.

Takeaways for solo content developers and small teams

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