iusethisorg

iusethis.org

A register of software actually in use — a single static page styled as a continuous-form greenbar printout, served by GitHub Pages at iusethis.org.

MIT License © 2026 Paul Richeson

Adding a project

Edit projects.js and add an object to the PROJECTS array:

{
  name:   "my-tool",                 // required
  desc:   "What it does, one line.", // required
  url:    "https://…",               // optional
  since:  "2021",                    // optional
  status: "in use",                  // optional: "in use" (default) or "dormant"
  lang:   "Go",                      // optional
  tags:   ["cli", "daily"],          // optional
}

index.html renders the array as numbered records — no build step for records.

Writing an article (the text-blog pipeline)

Articles are plain text files in articles/ — front matter plus a tiny markup (paragraphs, ## sections, ![caption](src) figures, > pull quotes, numbered lists). The Makefile does all the important targets:

make new SLUG=my-object   # scaffold an article in the ledger format
make build                # render writeups/*.html + articles.js (the
                          # manifest the front-page ledger gallery reads)
make check                # strict build — what CI runs
make serve                # build + preview at http://localhost:8000
make clean                # remove generated files

Set status: published (the Register front-matter fields become mandatory) and the article gets a page and a “published” card in the front-page gallery; status: forthcoming shows a claimable card. Generated files are never committed — the GitHub Action (.github/workflows/pages.yml) runs make check on every push to main and deploys the result to Pages.

Fork this — please

The whole site is MIT (code) — forking is not just permitted, it’s the point: take the repo, empty articles/ and projects.js, and run your own register of use. Keep the LICENSE file and its copyright line and you’re fully compliant; a link back to iusethis.org is appreciated, never required. Write-ups are the authors’ own (CC BY-SA proposed — see proposal 003).

Deploying to GitHub Pages

  1. The repo lives at iusethisorg/iusethisorg (an org account, not a personal one, so governance handoff never requires migrating the repo — see docs/GOVERNANCE.md).
  2. In the repo: Settings → Pages, set Source to GitHub Actions. The workflow builds (make check) and deploys on each push to main. The CNAME file tells Pages the custom domain is iusethis.org.

DNS setup

At the DNS provider for iusethis.org:

1. Verify the domain (TXT record)

In GitHub: profile Settings → Pages → Add a domain → enter iusethis.org. GitHub shows a TXT record to create, shaped like:

Type Name Value
TXT _github-pages-challenge-iusethis (code GitHub displays)

Create it, wait for propagation (check with dig TXT _github-pages-challenge-iusethis.iusethis.org +short), then click Verify. This proves domain ownership and prevents takeover if the Pages site is ever disabled.

2. Point the apex at GitHub Pages (A/AAAA records)

Type Name Value
A @ 185.199.108.153
A @ 185.199.109.153
A @ 185.199.110.153
A @ 185.199.111.153
AAAA @ 2606:50c0:8000::153
AAAA @ 2606:50c0:8001::153
AAAA @ 2606:50c0:8002::153
AAAA @ 2606:50c0:8003::153

Optionally add www:

Type Name Value
CNAME www iusethisorg.github.io.

3. Enable HTTPS

Back in the repo’s Settings → Pages, confirm the custom domain shows iusethis.org with a green check, then tick Enforce HTTPS (available once the certificate is issued, usually within an hour of DNS propagating).

Local preview

python3 -m http.server 8000
# → http://localhost:8000
This site is open source. Improve this page.