A resource, but also a particular end product, a piece of art.
In all seriousness, I, too, immediately wanted to buy it for the coffee table and to thumb through for inspiration in an analog way.
Good job on the illustrations and the cultivating of so many projects into one book. I think you've given me a lifetime of weekend projects!
One note: you might want to put 'download' in the link to the PDF, so it downloads instead of showing up in a new browser window, which seems to be your OG design choice: <a href="https://makeityourself.org/MIY.pdf" download target="_blank"><div class="download">Download</div></a>
I use git repos for anything that gets far enough to warrant a folder with files, but only because I tend to swap computers too often to reliably maintain a fixed file directory, but along the way I found that “plain git + files” is a surprisingly effective foundation for a project/knowledge management system.
I strongly disagree with this suggestion. My browser is my PDF viewer, if I want to actually download the PDF I can do it after the browser renders it.
There are precious few situations where <a download> is appropriate for PDF files. This is certainly not one of them. The user probably wants to view the content, let them handle it however.
The experience of PDFs that insist on triggering a download is sufficiently unpleasant that I use a browser extension <https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/no-pdf-downlo...> that removes any `Content-Disposition: attachment` headers, and inserts `Content-Disposition: inline` headers, which in Firefox (but not Chrome, I believe) overrides even an <a download> attribute.
I expect that whatever was used to create the PDF could be configured to produce a website...
I'm actually surprised by the anti-PDF sentiment here (in general case, not necessarily this book). Modern web is so bad, that almost every day I end up on some page that would be strictly better if it were a PDF. So, to play devil's advocate, PDFs are cool because:
- The links may rot, but they remain, and so does surrounding content. Once you get a PDF, no one can take it away from you.
- It's self-contained. It can easily be transferred between devices and read without an Internet connection.
- It's a file. Yes, it's important to mention because in 2024, files cannot be taken for granted.
- Rich format without spurious dynamics and other web nonsense. Sure, PDFs technically can run arbitrary JavaScript, but hardly any reader supports that.
- Can't track you or spy on you (theoretically it could, in practice, see previous point).
I could come up with a few more. Point being, you could do worse, and modern web quite often is worse.
As for what could be an even better format, my mind is drawn towards CHM[0]. You know, like the help files in old Windows software. A self-contained file built of interlinked HTML pages, complete with index and internal search/xref. Kind of a better EPUB[1].
(Ironically, marketers should actually love PDF - total control over presentation is exactly what they've been trying to gain on the web all these years.)
--
[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Compiled_HTML_Help
[1] - Despite being a decade older.
a) it cannot be automatically reflowed
b) it’s a complete mess of a file format with tech deb spanning 30 years
c) the linked ressources info
Everything else is fine with it and apparently lotta folks write plenty of software to read it.
Perhaps epubs (and .mobi etc) come close but they are not universally adopted
- It's self-contained. It can easily be transferred between devices and read without an Internet connection. - It's a file. Yes, it's important to mention because in 2024, files cannot be taken for granted.
(Btw it’s a sad state of affairs that we can less and less own our files)
But I do think in the post here, the issue is that the PDF in itself is pretty useless : it doesn’t contain any information and only links to … websites.
(Btw I wouldn’t criticize this a lot because I’m admirative of the indexation work, it’s pretty cool !)
It is, but the UX trying to read a A4/letter sized PDF document on a phone is absolutely horrible.
I don't know much about steel coils, and I'm hoping that something that fits in your back seat isn't as dangerous as those featured in YouTube videos, but the idea that the primary concern is just strapping the thing down is kinda funny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC6pn8n7MeY
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kDGfk-dOjq8
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=steel+coil+unwi...
So no, that's not the same type of complaint
You can make a phone-sized PDF and it'll be just fine.
it's not the file format.
It's pretty cool how PDFs don't typically load resources from an external website or CDN. They are self-contained, and thus demonstrably portable.
Gross analogy: Have you ever been to a multi-day music festival? A port-o-potty in the dark is disgusting, but still somewhat useable compared the alternative of going to the bathroom in public. PDF artifacts are in the same ballpark.
Was at a restaurant with a QR code that led to a PDF if their paper menu. It was horrible. For reference it was the Ralph Lauren Cafe in Omotesando Tokyo.
All that, VS a PDF that shows the entire menu that I can navigate spatially, show as much as I want depending on light levels, interest, and screen size, and can all fit in one, static tab.
Of course, the real answer is that electronic menus at sit down restaurants opened with QR codes are trash. Paper never really had these problems unless the restaurant was bad at menu design. I dislike being forced to use my phone at all when I'm out with friends or family for a nice dinner. Growing up, if I used my phone at the dinner table I would've been scolded.
If it's PDF or nothing, I'll be glad to take the PDF.
The PDF format can’t necessarily be blamed for its inability to be responsive to screen size, but that’s one of several good reasons to discourage the use of PDFs for purely digital documents. Its design is linked to a specific historical context, and it should be limited to that context.
(Of course, I imagine the actual reason for the PDF is that it’s just an export of the InDesign/Photoshop/whatever file that was used to create the original paper menus. There probably is no “database.”)
Easily? Because it's not a fraction of the work. Let's just assume you mean to use someone else's solution (of the literal thousands, each with their own quirks), to make your bespoke website.
PDFs have a standard. Libraries to resize are not difficult to find. Most people are able to run a PDF through their printer driver for a resize, because it's a solved problem.
I would say creating a job that outputs a bunch of PDFs is going to be easier than a build system for different devices (CMS or not), every time.
The two main pain points everyone said PDF had solved for documents, when it was introduced.
”For each entry in this PDF, follow the link and give a structured explanation of how to make the thing."
I don't know if any off-the-shelf tool is capable of that today though.
[1]: https://n-o-d-e.net/
https://www.youtube.com/@NODEtv/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@MOSFETnet/videos
I think all of the videos have a written version on https://n-o-d-e.net/ for those who prefer that style of content.
Do try this at home.
Sidenote: I want to get started with wood working, can anyone recommend a resource?
I started with just a circular saw and a drill (would not now recommend [1]) and bought "handy panels" from the local big box store to make crappy book cases and such. I was very much demonstrating the aesthetic of the School of College-Dorm.
Eventually I got a table saw and started making MAME cabinets, dance pads, etc.
When I eventually started seeking out better quality plywood I began to make things like speaker enclosures (and better looking book cases).
I was getting into woodworking when television was still a thing so Norm Abram's "New Yankee Workshop" on PBS was my inspiration. Not only is a lot of that on YouTube now [2], but so too are hundreds of others uploading videos on woodworking. We live in a rich time when it comes to hobby how-to videos.
I think of YouTube sometimes more as inspiration ... where I want to get to. For example I like Paul Seller's videos [3] where he makes everything more or less with hand tools. Ishitani Furniture [4] is my where I wish I were.
But if videos are not your thing, archive.org is back and their Magazine Rack [5] has plenty of magazines on woodworking. Just look around.
[1] Forget the circular saw unless you're doing hime construction. Opt for an inexpensive "panel saw" instead — and also an 8' sheet of 1-inch-thick insulating foam to put down underneath the wood you'll be cutting on the floor of your basement or driveway.
[2] https://www.youtube.com/@newyankeeworkshop
[3] https://www.youtube.com/@Paul.Sellers
A couple of tips: You'll need a lot of clamps. Don't spend much money on tools until you know what you're going to build. It's really easy to get caught up in precision and having everything cut perfectly. This is important in finish work, but for everyday stuff you don't need to worry about it.
If using hand tools is of any interest to you, I highly recommend the Anarchist's Design Book, Anarchist's Tool Chest. All by Christopher Schwarz and available from his press Lost Art Press. I discovered them via a comment here a few years back. His basic philosophy is woodworking for regular people to make stuff that are going to last and usable. Lost Art Press' website has a lot of book samples and full books in PDF form. It's worth checking out.
Good luck!
For me, having the sled "built-in" on a true panel saw makes for a less awkward experience using the tool.
It would be one thing if I went back and forth between using the circular saw and the panel saw but I truly haven't touched my circular saw in maybe ten years now.
* Circular saw: a basic hand-held circular saw that can cut through stuff.
* Track saw: the cousin of the circular saw; comes with (essentially) a big metal ruler which the hand-held saw part 'locks' into. This means it can be super-accurate (to a fraction of a mm) and also do very long straight cuts (limited only by the length of your track). Personally, highly-recommended, and can sometimes do work that almost nothing else can, especially if you're working on a larger scale. Can do everything a circular saw can, but a lot more besides, and can cut boards into larger pieces than a table saw can manage.
* Mitre saw: a circular saw on a tilting rotatable arm, that allows you to do precisely-angled repeatable shorter cuts. For example, great for cutting lumber down into lots of shorter lengths for a project, or creating angled cuts for the corner of a frame, or similar. Recommended.
* Table saw (I think this is what you mean by panel saw?): an upside down circular saw sticking up out of a wide flat table, with an adjustable 'fence'. Great for quick efficient repeatable cuts on boards; for example, if you're making a load of shelves, or drawers, and lots of the pieces have the same width, you set your fence once than then push the board through the saw multiple times. Can also do mitre cuts but not as conveniently as a mitre saw. Can also cut 'rabbets' (slots) in wood more easily than most other tools. Recommended.
In my shop I have a track that my circular saw, jig saw and router can use for long pieces. I can break full sheets of plywood down. I use foam board insulation. Either on the floor for breaking down a full sheet, or for smaller pieces I put foamboard on my 3x5' workbench.
I have a Mitre saw that I use for small 8" crosscuts. For bigger crosscuts back to the track.
All of my tools are Dewalt 20v tools so I don't need to wrangle cables. The only think I can't do easily is rip small widths of long pieces.
Out of interest, which system do you have which allows a jigsaw and router to use your track?
The three sleds took about 45 mins to make the first one (fiddle-fiddle-fiddle-some-more-fiddle) and then the other two took about 15 mins each.
He's got a very nice approachable style (almost the Bob Ross of woodworking?) and has some great beginner videos, including guidance on which tools to prioritise (and deprioritise) at the start of the hobby. He also sells a course with plans for gradually increasingly challenging projects. No affiliation, just watched a lot of his videos when I was first getting started with woodworking.
There are also (as you'd expect) thousands of other Youtubers doing woodwork, too. Steve's just a great starting place.