Site Relaunched -- 2026. Django!

The time has come to upgrade Switchboard Tech Services to the Django framework.

Previously, in the interest of beauty, simplicity, speed, and longevity, I had used Hugo, which generates static HTML websites. But in the interest of scaling and having more website functionality, I chose to use Django.

This will allow me to add all kinds of new features to the main website: Automated Kirksville updates and responsive info being a few features.

Why not something like WordPress?

WordPress has lots of power, but does not scale well. Also, it's very consumer-oriented. Every plugin comes with an upsell and—dare I say—spam.

Creating a good WordPress site requires some foresight on where you are going with your site. It's a great Swiss Army knife (I use it all the time), but for specialization, custom designs are better. This is where Django fits best.

My Discovery of Django

Back in the day when I was learning Python, I loved Python's power to do such large varieties of tasks easily, whereas PHP, my former language, was very much web-only and had many limitations.

When I discovered Python could run websites, this was an amazing time for me. Because with Python you get:

• Speed
• Automation and ongoing processes
• More intelligent services
• Tighter control

The Future of SwitchboardTechServices.com...

Django's potential is massive. Some very well known and large sites are powered by it.

My hope for this website is that it will eventually cover most of Kirksville's subjects and indeed be an online tech service for local events and systems.

But for now, we start small.

Leo wrote an update.