NostalgiaPHP

🪨 NostalgiaPHP Quickstart for Non-Devs

Make site. Fast. Files good. Framework bad.

This is the fun way to edit a website — no scary dashboards, no logins, just files and folders.

Step 0. Get the Website Files

  1. Go to the project on GitHub: 👉 https://github.com/bmehder/NostalgiaPHP
  2. Click the green Code button, then click Download ZIP.
  3. When it finishes downloading, unzip it (double-click the .zip file). You’ll now have a folder called NostalgiaPHP-main.
  4. Move this folder somewhere easy to find, like your Desktop or Documents.

Step 1. Check if Your Mac Already Speaks PHP

Open Terminal (in Applications → Utilities).
Type:

php -v

If you see something like:

PHP 8.2.12 (cli) ...

🎉 You’re ready! Skip to Step 3.
If you see “command not found” → continue to Step 2.

Step 2. Teach Your Mac PHP (one-time)

Download this friendly little app:
👉 https://herd.laravel.com/

Open the installer, let it finish. Done. Your Mac speaks PHP now.

Step 3. Enter the Cave

Use Terminal to move into the project folder. Example:

cd ~/Desktop/NostalgiaPHP

(Change the path if you put the folder somewhere else.)

Step 4. Light the Fire 🔥

Still in Terminal, type:

php -S localhost:8000

This means “serve this folder at http://localhost:8000”.

Step 5. Open Browser, See Magic ✨

Go to http://localhost:8000 in Safari or Chrome.
That’s your site, live!

Now edit any .md file in the content/ folder, save, refresh browser → instant change.

Cave Tips

  • Stop the fire → Press Ctrl + C in Terminal.
  • Edit safely → Markdown files are just text. Open them in TextEdit or VS Code.
  • Don’t panic → If a page disappears, you probably broke the --- front matter --- at the top. Fix it and reload.
  • Backups → Copy the folder or put it on GitHub. That’s it.

📝 That’s all!
Make site. Fast. Files good. Framework bad.