A new Website
Out with the old WordPress install, in with a clean, fast, static site built from scratch.
After more than a decade on the same aging WordPress install, shopping-app.net finally has a proper home.
Why bother
The old site did its job — but it was slow, cluttered with plugins I never wanted, and every release I dreaded touching the theme files. I wanted something I could update in seconds, that loads instantly, and that doesn’t need a database or PHP runtime just to show a screenshot.
What’s new
- Built with Astro. Pure static HTML and CSS at the end. No tracking, no analytics scripts, no cookie banner needed.
- Faster. First paint in well under a second on most connections — the WordPress site needed three.
- Editable in plain text. News posts like this one live as Markdown files in a folder. FAQ entries are JSON. Adding a feature card is one line in a TypeScript file. No CMS, no logins.
- A real screenshot gallery. Tap any screenshot to open it in a fullscreen lightbox, switch between iOS and Android with one click.
- Status indicators. The support section now shows live status for sync and authentication, so you can see at a glance if it’s me or your connection.
What stayed
The privacy policy URL (/privacy-police/) still works — old links
won’t break. The contact form still drops messages straight into my
inbox. The app itself is unchanged.
What’s next
I’ll be adding real release notes to every news post going forward instead of the placeholder stubs that ship with the site template. If you spot anything broken — a missing image, a button that doesn’t do what it should — just hit reply on any email I send, or use the form below. I read every message.
Thanks for sticking around through twelve years of this app. Here’s to the next twelve.