Static sites are websites that serve pre-built pages stored on a web server. Static sites tend to be easier to create and maintain, and require less back-end programming knowledge than dynamic sites. They are fast, secure, flexible, and scalable for many digital humanities needs. Because of their lower demand for resources, they also leave a smaller carbon footprint than dynamic sites.
Minimal computing is a set of goals, ideas, and approaches that support minimizing the use of unnecessary technologies, particularly in Digital Humanities scholarship.
"Defining minimal computing is as quixotic a task as defining digital humanities itself [Kirschenbaum 2012] [Spiro 2012] [Bianco 2012] [Hall 2012].[2] Minimal computing is less a singular methodology — or even a coherent set of methodologies — than it is a mode of thinking about digital humanities praxis that resists the idea that “innovation” is defined by newness, scale, or scope. Broadly speaking, minimal computing connotes digital humanities work undertaken in the context of some set of constraints." (Risam & Gil, 2022)
The environmental impact may be overlooked when creating a digital project, but the energy intensity of the digital industry in the world is increasing. Below are resources addressing the environmental impact of data centers, the cloud, and digital projects, and how static sites may be a more sustainable option for some projects.