Static Site Architecture for E-Ink Devices

Date: September 15, 2025
Category: technical

Overview

This presentation explores the technical architecture behind building static websites optimized for e-ink displays and limited computing environments.

Core Principles

1. Zero Client-Side Computation

E-ink devices often have severely limited processing power. By eliminating JavaScript entirely, we ensure instant page loads and maximum compatibility.

2. Minimal Bandwidth Usage

Every HTTP request matters on slow connections. Our approach:

• Inline all critical CSS
• No external dependencies
• No fonts, images, or media files
• Target page weight under 10KB

3. Progressive Enhancement Philosophy

Start with the most basic HTML that works everywhere, then carefully add only essential styling that degrades gracefully.

Technical Stack

Jekyll Static Site Generator

Jekyll provides:

• Simple markdown-to-HTML conversion
• Templating with Liquid
• Zero runtime dependencies
• Easy hosting options

Build Process

1. Write content in markdown
2. Jekyll processes templates
3. Generate static HTML files
4. Deploy to any web host
5. No server-side processing required

CSS Strategy

What We Include

• Basic typography (font-family, line-height)
• Layout constraints (max-width for readability)
• Minimal spacing (margins, padding)
• Simple borders for visual hierarchy

What We Exclude

• Animations and transitions
• Complex positioning (flexbox, grid)
• Web fonts
• Media queries (keep it simple)
• Colors beyond black/white/grey

Performance Results

Typical Page Metrics

• HTML size: 2-5KB
• Total page weight: 3-6KB
• HTTP requests: 1 (HTML only)
• Load time on e-ink: <1 second
• Rendering: Nearly instant

Deployment Options

Option 1: GitHub Pages

• Free hosting
• Automatic builds on push
• Easy content updates via Git

Option 2: Local Network

• Run Jekyll locally
• Serve via simple HTTP server
• Access from e-reader on same network

Option 3: Traditional Hosting

• Build site locally
• Upload static files via FTP/SFTP
• Works with any web host

Content Management

Adding New Posts

1. Create: _posts/YYYY-MM-DD-title.md
2. Add front matter (title, date, category)
3. Write content in markdown
4. Commit and push (or rebuild locally)

File Structure

_posts/           # All content here
_layouts/         # HTML templates
_config.yml       # Site configuration
index.html        # Homepage
speeches.md       # Archive page

Future Enhancements

Potential Additions

• Search functionality (static index)
• Print stylesheet
• Dark mode (CSS only)
• Table of contents generation
• Export to plain text

Constraints to Maintain

• No JavaScript requirement
• Single HTTP request per page
• Total compatibility with old browsers
• Sub-10KB page weight

Conclusion

By embracing constraints and focusing on core functionality, we’ve created a reading platform that works reliably on the most limited devices while remaining easy to maintain and extend.

The key insight: Less is often more, especially when dealing with constrained environments.

End of document