This is a release log for the site itself. It records changes after they are made; it is not a simulated product roadmap or a claim about traffic.

Each note, tutorial, essay, or decision records its own writing/update date in its front matter. The entries below are the site’s structural and verification changes, which were folded in during late August as the collection grew. Content dates and structural dates are therefore independent: the posts have been added steadily since early June, while the site layout, series, and checks landed a little later.

2026-09-07 - Site design refresh

  • Rebuilt the homepage around a locally hosted datacenter photograph, selected reading, recent notes, topics, and resources.
  • Unified typography, spacing, article lists, series, and the footer; narrowed the article reading column and retained horizontally scrollable code and tables.
  • Added a native, keyboard-accessible mobile menu and a skip-to-content link. Language switching stays on the matching page.
  • Retained all 499 English/Chinese article pairs and their URLs. The separate article-depth review is still in progress: 39 pairs pass its structural gate; 460 remain.
  • Kept the site script-free, with no third-party browser requests. Image and icon licensing is recorded in the repository’s third-party notices.

2026-08-25 — Essays and decisions sections

  • Added a new /essays/ section: three script-free, source-backed essays arguing a position (zero-JavaScript as a defensible choice, cache freshness versus validation as two clocks, and readable evidence over dashboards).
  • Added a new /decisions/ section with three decision records (ADR): static tree over a dynamic server, pinning the vendored theme and generator versions, and complete-directory exchange releases.
  • Each essay and decision keeps the source-gate and original-cover contract; unlike notes and tutorials, the new categories are not required to join one of the three series.
  • Paired every English essay and decision with a Chinese translation under /zh/ sharing the same URL slug, with matching navigation entries and RSS feeds.
  • Extended scripts/check_site.py and scripts/generate_visuals.py for the two new categories and six new original cover visuals, keeping the strict Content Security Policy and script-free output intact.

2026-08-25 — Tutorials, three new notes, and upstream version checks

  • Added a new /tutorials/ section with one connected walkthrough per series (HTTP, release and recovery, web security); each tutorial ties its series together, links the notes it depends on, and includes real command output.
  • Added three new bilingual notes: HTTP method semantics with 405/OPTIONS, conditional requests and ETag/304 revalidation, and certificate-chain presentation with openssl s_client.
  • Rendered each tutorial with its own original cover and the same script-free contract.
  • Added scripts/check_upstream_versions.py: an offline assertion (make check-upstream) that pins Hugo and PaperMod against data/upstream-pins.toml, plus a network-tolerant probe (make probe-upstream) that reports drift and refreshes checked dates.
  • Extended scripts/check_site.py and scripts/check_external_links.py to validate and probe the tutorial content as well as notes.
  • Added a scheduled CI workflow (upstream-versions) and a pin assertion step to the existing verify workflow.
  • Kept every page script-free and the strict Content Security Policy intact.

2026-08-24 — Bilingual site (English + Chinese)

  • Added a Chinese version of the whole site under /zh/, including all 26 notes, home, archives, the three series, resources, sources, cheatsheet, changelog, about, and privacy pages.
  • Split content into content-en/ and content-zh/, keeping English at the site root and Chinese under /zh/; each note pairs with its translation so a header language switcher works on every page.
  • Added a header language switcher (English / 中文) on the custom header without adding JavaScript.
  • Extended scripts/check_site.py to validate both note collections, the Chinese home page, and the required /zh/ outputs.
  • Sharpened every Chinese note URL to match its English counterpart with an explicit ASCII slug.
  • Kept the site script-free and the strict Content Security Policy intact.

2026-08-24 — Archive, source gate, and verification

  • Added a static archive page (/archives/) grouping notes by publication date, reachable from the top navigation.
  • Added a source-link gate to the artifact check: every note must cite at least one external source in its Sources section.
  • Added an optional, network-tolerant external-link probe (scripts/check_external_links.py) and a make check-external target that does not block the offline verify run.
  • Added a CI workflow that runs make verify on push and pull request; it does not publish or deploy.
  • Kept every addition static and compatible with the site’s no-script Content Security Policy.

2026-08-23 — Navigation and discovery

  • Added three series pages covering HTTP foundations, release and recovery, and web security.
  • Added nine source-backed runbooks covering media types, ranges, HEAD, atomic publication, manifests, timers, CAA, HSTS, and cookie scope.
  • Added homepage reading routes, live topic counts, and direct access to the four downloadable operator files.
  • Added related-note cards derived from shared article tags.
  • Kept every new module static and compatible with the site’s no-script Content Security Policy.

2026-08-22 — Source-backed note collection

  • Added an original visual system: one home illustration, fifteen article covers, responsive image cards, and subtle no-JavaScript motion.
  • Added original notes on HTTP caching and compression, redirects, DNS changes, crawler discovery, Caddy, TLS checks, systemd, SSH host keys, and release evidence.
  • Added a source index with access dates and links to the relevant standards and manuals.
  • Added two read-only shell helpers for HTTP response and certificate-expiry checks.
  • Kept the output script-free so the existing strict Content Security Policy remains accurate.

2026-08-22 — Initial publication

  • Published the Hugo source, vendored PaperMod theme, notes, resources, RSS, sitemap, and privacy page.
  • Added clean-build, internal-link, forbidden-tag, and download-checksum verification.