An overview of the main new features introduced with AppErgo v0.5.
v0.4 was mainly about putting AppErgo online publicly. With v0.5, the goal was different: improving the design, making pages lighter, cleaning up the code, and starting to build a stronger foundation for the rest of the project.
A new logo
v0.5 introduces the new AppErgo logo, which is simpler, more geometric, and easier to read at small sizes. It keeps the four colors associated with the word Ergo, while moving away from the old AE monogram.
I wrote more about its creation in a dedicated article: “The AppErgo logo: the story of a creation”.
A new homepage
The homepage was reworked for v0.5. In v0.4, it mainly served as a first public version of the site, with a simple presentation of the project and a news block.
The new version is more structured: the logo is better integrated, the navigation is clearer, a Projects section appears, and the page gives more visibility to news, articles, upcoming files, social networks, and RSS feeds.
The goal was to start turning the homepage into a real entry point to the different parts of AppErgo, rather than just a simple presentation page.
A more readable FAQ
The FAQ was also reworked for v0.5. The first versions still used tabs, strong colors, and a lot of empty space.
I eventually chose a more compact and calmer layout, without tabs or color gradients. The result is easier to browse, lighter in terms of HTML/CSS, and generally more consistent with the site’s visual direction.
A lighter website
A large part of the work on v0.5 was also focused on optimization. I spent a lot of time reworking the HTML and CSS to make the pages lighter, cleaner, and easier to maintain.
One of the biggest improvements was adopting AVIF and WebP formats for images, whereas I had initially started with PNG and JPEG files. This change brought the most visible gains. But many small optimizations also ended up making a real difference: some unnecessary requests were removed, the WOFF2 fonts initially used were eventually removed as well, some SVG icons were inlined directly into the HTML, and some SVG backgrounds were inlined directly into the CSS.
The homepage went from around 264 KB to 121 KB, then to 60 KB, and now sits around 20 to 30 KB depending on the case.
Overall, the size of my pages and their respective resources has decreased significantly. And almost paradoxically, I also managed to significantly improve the site’s design at the same time.
Personally, I value efficiency, loading speed, and ergonomics. This is the philosophy I chose to follow here, and the one I will continue to follow going forward. Many modern websites look beautiful, but they can also become very heavy to load, sometimes to the point where navigation becomes less clear. For AppErgo, I prefer moving toward something simple, fast, and easy to browse.
Cleaner code
Beyond page weight, I also wanted to pay more attention to code quality. The goal is not only for the site to display correctly, but also for it to rely on HTML and CSS that are clean, readable, and as valid as possible.
I have therefore made an effort to fix the errors reported by the W3C Validator, and I intend to keep doing so in future versions. It is sometimes discreet work, but it matters: cleaner code makes the site more stable, easier to maintain, and more pleasant to evolve.
A Projects section
v0.5 also introduces a new Projects section, which was not planned in v0.4. It will be used to present project ideas, upcoming projects, and projects already in development.
Each project may have its own presentation page, with key points and, when possible, a dedicated roadmap. The goal is to better organize future AppErgo creations and make their evolution easier to follow.
What’s next?
There are still a few details to fix here and there. v0.5 of the site has only been online for a few hours, and I have already noticed a few small display bugs that I will need to correct quickly. So there is still some CSS to review, even if, for now, it is mostly cosmetic.
The PHP code that generates most of the public pages, which are themselves served as HTML, seems rather solid, but I may still find a few things to correct with use. As a result, it may be necessary to wait for a v0.5.1 before the Projects section is actually active.
During this stabilization work, I will probably publish a few articles about my project ideas, which have become clearer recently. I would also like to write about development topics, my way of working, and the philosophy I want to give to AppErgo.
That being said, I hope a few people will want to follow the evolution of the project. I would be delighted.