This is really just an obligatory post to announce that I’ve moved my blogging habits from workingsysadmin.com to this URL, thomasrayner.ca. Why? Well I’ll tell you why.

Previously, my blog was a Wordpress install hosted in Azure. Before that, it was a Wordpress install hosted in some shared hosting I’ve had since before there was time. Now, it’s hosted on GitHub Pages (proof). I’m still working out my workflow, and there’s lots of bugs I’m still working out from the conversion, so if you see broken images or links, please file an issue on the GitHub repo.

So why move? There’s really three reasons.

1. I don’t really like Wordpress that much

Wordpress was great when I was getting into blogging because it had nice editing tools and a vast array of plugins. In a previous life I used to be a web developer, and I liked that there was a robust theme ecosystem that meant I didn’t have to do any web development whatsoever.

The issue, became, that the plugin market is full of janky, poorly secured stuff, Wordpress itself has an enormous attack surface, and honestly it’s overkill for my needs. I just wanted a blog. Jekyll on GitHub Pages has got a way smaller attack surface, and it’s more comfortable for me to work with given my current workflow for non-blogging related activities. I’ve committed to not over-doing it when it comes to my theme, so it will likely stay pretty standard. If you know of a good dark theme, let me know.

2. I wanted to put it somewhere other than Azure

I love Azure. Let’s not get that confused. So why did I want to get my blog off Azure? Well, I was paying for it with a credit that I get for having an MSDN subscription and I want to use those credits for something else. I love GitHub too, so I’m personally filing this as a win/win.

All in, it’s been a bit of a hassle, but so far it’s been worth it. I need to get my new workflow sorted out a bit better. Scheduling posts to be published on future dates was a big reason I stayed on Wordpress as long as I did, but I should be able to get that sorted out here. This particular post is not scheduled, and is just going live when I’m done writing and revewing it, and decide to push it.

3. It was time for a new URL

The “Working Sysadmin” branding was fine when I was a “sysadmin”. The theme of the blog was, and continues to be, posts about the things I’m figuring out and working on at work. The trouble is, my career and role has changed a bit and I really don’t qualify myself as a “sysadmin” any more. In fact, I think the distinction between “dev” and “ops” is harmful and that we’d be better off if we all thought of ourselves as technologists, anyway. The new URL, thomasrayner.ca, captures things a little better. I don’t currently plan on having any guest posters, and I’m Canadian. So, self-branding seems to make more sense. This way, the blog can freely be about whatever is on my plate, without worrying about the “brand” of the blog. Spoiler: It’s still going to be a LOT of PowerShell and automation related subjects.

So, now it’s time for me to keep fixing broken links, updating RSS feeds, and all that kind of stuff. I’ve kind of just decided to wave goodbye to all the SEO I had built up with the old domain, because that’s not really what I do this for. Plus, that can be rebuilt.

Thanks for reading!