hpr-knowledge-base/hpr_transcripts/hpr0330.txt

Episode: 330
Title: HPR0330: Listgarden
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr0330/hpr0330.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-07 16:30:08

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Hello everybody, welcome to today's episode of Hacker Public Radio,
I'll be your host for the day, Deep Geek.
Today on Hacker Public Radio, our ongoing series of lightweight applications software reviews.
Today, I will review for you the Package List Garden.
This package was originally mentioned on episode number 44, but I feel it deserves its own episode.
List Garden is a pearl script that you can do many things,
but it seems to be the only program I can find that can be used to generate both a webpage and a matching RSS feed on a computer that is offline from the interweb.
The reason I find this functionality important is that it matches my needs.
I like to generate my site offline, it gives me the ability to work on my website when I am at odd locations on my laptop,
but I have to log onto the interweb.
I have tried two of the webpoint, the web 2.0 style applications that ran exclusively on my webpage and found it uncessed factory for a variety of reasons,
two of which are needed to be online as well as spam management.
My needs for simple web pages will not match the needs of everybody,
but I need something that can generate quick and easy web pages with RSS feeds.
Now, just so I don't leave out the people who don't know yet what RSS feeds are, RSS stands for really simple syndication,
and is a way of abstracting the content away from the website's presentation.
Once the content and the webpage are separate, you can use a variety of software called Feed Readers to access the content of several websites, often simultaneously.
One of my favorites is having an RSS reader in my email client.
I no longer have to check web pages to see if anything new is up.
I just have my email program check the web pages with RSS feeds, and my email program tells me what has changed.
Some web pages will syndicate content, and so you can have your web pages' headlines included in another web page this way.
So, let's talk about ListGarden.
ListGarden's installation.
Step 1. Install Pearl.
Step 2. Download the Torn, decompress it.
Step 3. Mark the script as executable.
Done. That's it.
Did I mention this was a lightweight application?
That's the install for Linux.
By the way, Windows and Mac installs are also available for this program.
It is crossplatform.
Now, let's talk about actually using ListGarden.
First, you execute ListGarden from either an X-Term or from a menu system.
When run, it will say something like, to access UI, visit HTTP, colon slash slash, 127.0.0.1 colon 6555.
This garden uses your normal web browser as its normal interface.
From there, there will be a bunch of easy to understand buttons for different functions.
I got stored without even reading the manual.
I filed the steps to create a list, modified my settings to my likings,
defined several items, customized it, and checked the output with another tab in my web browser.
It's a real cinch, and if I explain it anymore, I will just make it look more complicated than it is.
Try it. You can always delete the files if you don't like it.
When you get it to your liking, you can copy the HTML and RSS.xml files to a server, and you're done.
After that, updating your site is a matter of adding a new item and publishing it.
Now, I really need to discuss the other features of ListGarden.
While I like to use ListGarden my way, I should mention all the features, so you can see if your way is in there.
ListGarden can be used first off to maintain any number of RSS feeds without HTML web pages.
ListGarden seems to be designed so it won't force any function on you that you may not want,
even though it is one program it acts like a very modular system.
ListGarden makes good, easy to understand HTML.
Reasonable defaults can make creation of a HTML blog and instant experience.
You can then modify what you want as a header and footer to your items for that custom look.
I managed to achieve an effect that simulated all the things I liked in my old WordPress system, but now I don't need WordPress anymore.
ListGarden also has a backup system. I can't review that function as I have not yet tried it.
ListGarden also can FTP your website and directly write your files there if you wanted to.
Just as an addendum, I note that not all feed readers all create equally.
However, they are a dime a dozen and easy to replace. It is the feed writers that are harder to come by.
While the feed reader for Claw's email client is missing a few entries, the Firefox plugin Sage is getting everything over the generated RSS feed.
I hope you've enjoyed my short episode on ListGarden, and I hope you'll check it out.
Today is a special episode for me, because I wish to make a special announcement today.
I have decided to create a spin-off show called Talk Geek to Me.
It's at the URL TalkGeekToMe.us.
Please don't interpret this as thinking that I'm having any kind of odd fallout with the boys at HackerPublicRadio.org.
I'm not. I've been with HackerPublicRadio since the very beginning and have no intention to stop participating.
And I'm going to keep up my monthly commitment of an episode of months.
But I am just a person who's dying of curiosity, and I have to see what will happen if I try to develop my own audience
and tend to their needs.
Also, so I'm going to be trying this also.
I hope you'll come over to TalkGeekToMe.us and check out the new program.
Thanks for listening and have a great day.
Thank you for listening to HackerPublicRadio.
HPR is sponsored by Carol.net.
So head on over to C-A-R-O dot-N-T for all of those needs.
Thank you very much.