Why a Refresh?

After running this blog on Jekyll since 2018, I decided it was time for a fresh start. Not because Jekyll is bad—it served me well for nearly a decade—but because the web has evolved, and so have my expectations for what a personal blog should be.

The old setup was showing its age: slow builds, outdated dependencies, and a design that felt cluttered. More importantly, I wanted something that would be fast for you, the reader, and simple for me to maintain.

What’s New?

⚡ Blazing Fast

The most noticeable change? Speed. Every page now loads instantly because there’s literally zero JavaScript sent to your browser. Just pure HTML and CSS. No loading spinners, no layout shifts, no unnecessary overhead.

  • Pages load in milliseconds
  • Works perfectly on slow connections
  • Minimal data usage (great for mobile)

🌓 Dark Mode

The blog now automatically adapts to your system’s dark mode preference. If you’re reading this at night with dark mode enabled, you’re already seeing it in action. No manual toggle needed—it just works.

Light mode during the day, dark mode at night. The way it should be.

🎨 Cleaner Design

I took inspiration from modern minimalist designs (think Vercel’s blog) to create something that puts content first:

  • Generous whitespace - easier on the eyes
  • Readable typography - optimized for long-form reading
  • Card-based layout - clear visual hierarchy
  • Mobile-first - looks great on any screen size

No more cluttered sidebars or distracting elements. Just your content and the words.

🔖 Better Navigation

Finding content is now easier with:

  • Tag pages - click any tag to see related posts
  • Clean URLs - /posts/slug/ instead of /year/month/day/title/
  • RSS feed - for those who still love RSS readers (I do!)
  • Reading time estimates - so you know what you’re getting into

🔗 Modern Sharing

Sharing posts is simpler with direct links to:

  • X (Twitter) - because it’s not called Twitter anymore
  • LinkedIn - for the professional crowd

No more cluttered share buttons or tracking scripts. Just clean, privacy-respecting links.

📱 Mobile Experience

The blog is now truly mobile-first. Whether you’re on a phone, tablet, or desktop, everything scales perfectly. The responsive grid adapts to your screen size automatically.

What Stayed the Same?

Despite the complete rebuild, some things didn’t change:

  • Markdown posts - I still write in plain markdown
  • Same domain - thomas.rumas.fr isn’t going anywhere
  • No tracking - no analytics, no cookies, no surveillance
  • All my content - every post migrated successfully

Under the Hood

For the technically curious (but keeping it brief):

  • Built with Astro - modern static site generator
  • Node 24 - latest LTS
  • GitHub Pages - same reliable hosting
  • GitHub Actions - automated deployments

The entire blog builds in under half a second, compared to 30+ seconds with Jekyll. That means I can iterate faster and publish updates instantly.

What This Means for You

As a reader, you get:

  1. Faster load times - noticeably snappier
  2. Better reading experience - cleaner design, dark mode
  3. Works everywhere - any device, any connection speed
  4. Privacy-first - no tracking scripts
  5. More content - easier for me to publish means more posts

Looking Forward

This refresh isn’t just about a new coat of paint. It’s about building a foundation that will last another 8 years (or more). The modern stack means:

  • Easier to maintain
  • Faster to update
  • More enjoyable to write for
  • Better experience for readers

I’m excited to keep sharing thoughts on software engineering, cloud computing, developer experience, and whatever else catches my interest. The blog is ready for whatever comes next.

Try It Out

You’re already experiencing the new blog right now! Take a look around:

  • Browse by tags to find topics you’re interested in
  • Check out the about page to learn more about me
  • Subscribe via RSS if that’s your thing

Welcome to the new era of thomas.rumas.fr. Same content, better experience.

P.S. - If you spot any issues or have feedback, feel free to reach out on X or LinkedIn. I’m always happy to hear from readers.