HTML Learning: Insights from Chin and Stolley

Today, I’d like to explore how Monica Chin’s “File Not Found” and Karl Stolley’s “The Lo-Fi Manifesto” intersect with our journey into learning HTML. Both pieces offer valuable insights that resonate with anyone starting to navigate the digital landscape.

In Chin’s “File Not Found,” she highlights the fragility of digital content. She illustrates how rapidly evolving technology can lead to the loss of files and formats, leaving us searching for what once seemed secure.

For example, I’ve had to do a lot of research about Homestuck recently, and the discontinuation of Flash made what was once an interactable webcomic something more two-dimensional. Remembering the Flash games I’d play on coolmathgames or y8 that are no longer available is disheartening.

This serves as a reminder of the importance of understanding the foundational aspects of web development, like HTML. By learning HTML, we can create our own digital spaces that we can maintain and control, reducing the risk of losing our work to the whims of technological change.

On the flip side, Stolley’s “Lo-Fi Manifesto” advocates for simplicity and clarity in web design. He argues that the pursuit of complex, flashy websites often complicates code and accessibility. For those of us just beginning to learn HTML, this perspective is refreshing. It encourages us to focus on clean, straightforward design that prioritizes usability over unnecessary complexity. As well as a strong understanding of the basics. In this way, Stolley’s manifesto aligns perfectly with the principles of HTML, which emphasizes structure and clarity.

Bringing these two perspectives together, we see a common theme: the value of simplicity and control in our digital creations.

Chin’s caution about digital decay and Stolley’s call for straightforward design serve as guiding principles for anyone learning HTML. By mastering these fundamentals, we not only empower ourselves to create enduring content that surpasses inevitable change, but also ensure that our work is easily accessible to a broader audience. As we embark on our HTML learning journey, we should keep in mind the insights.

By focusing on simplicity and maintaining our digital creations, we can navigate the complexities of the web with confidence. Together, let’s embrace the foundational skills of HTML and create meaningful, lasting content that stands the test of time.


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

One response to “HTML Learning: Insights from Chin and Stolley”

  1. swanXVI Avatar
    swanXVI

    Hey! I love your connection between Chin and HTML. I read Chin as a callout to people like me who don’t organize files at all. I totally missed that there could be a connection between file management and low fidelity tools like HTML. I also missed how Chin could’ve been writing a cautionary tale on how technological changes might make some thing unsustainable. Good on you, you’re a lot more insightful than I am.

    HTML has opened my eyes these past few weeks. The accessibility – quality equation presented by Stolley has stuck with me a lot. When considering these two pieces, I’ve had to remind myself that change isn’t evil, or something to hate. Change isn’t the enemy, mandatory corporate updates are.

    Great post, loved your breakdown and connection between the pieces.