neocities.org
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Static Blog Generator is an in-house script that converts individual HTML files into a full blog with RSS support. Written for neocities.org specifically but will work on any web host since all it produces are a few static pages.
Author's Note: I've been using this on my own blog page since 19 April 2026 with no issues either on this site or on two online RSS readers I use regularly. I will update this statement if I encounter any issues.
Right-click & save the 3 files below: doc, template and script.
Help: Documentation Template: template.html Script: blog.py
Compatibility: Linux, macOS, *BSD, Windows License: Blue Oak Model
- Status: New 11 May 2026
- Status: Updated 13 May 2026: Documentation only
- Status: Updated 31 May 2026: template.html only (recommended)
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Finger Protocol
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nf (netfinger) is a netcat-based finger client. Features include support for the two major finger formats: user@domain.com and finger://domain.com/user.
Additional features include smart wrapping, rendering (HTML, Markdown, ANSI Art), custom shortcuts, blocklists, auto CR/LF detection for server compatibility, protocol validation and error handling.
License: Blue Oak Model License↗ Screenshot: Help Script: nf.txt
Compatibility: Linux, macOS and *BSD Status: Updated 18 Jun 2026
f2g (finger2gopher, released 20jan2026) is a simple script that supports gopher via finger using the lynx text browser. It's here because it's a snippet of code that I may merge into nf.
Usage: f2g user@domain.com (or) f2g finger://domain.com/user
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fm: The Multi-Server Finger Monitor. A simple little Finger server checker. Checks 3 core servers for recent user activity in one glance. Requirement: a command-line finger client that outputs to stdout.
Author's Note: This simple little thing is probably my most used finger utility. So useful for checking in on the core servers running finger. See the screenshot below for a sample output.
License: Blue Oak License↗ Script: fm.txt Screenshot: fm.png
Compatibility: Linux and macOS Status: updated 07 Dec 2025
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The Blog to Plan File Converter is an in-house, lightweight app that converts HTML-based blog posts into an equivalent looking plain text .plan file with a 72-character width limit (default; user configurable). Essentially an HTML to Text Converter with extras.
Features: Smart HTML stripping, link citation, relative link handling, configuration options (base URL, line wrapping, footer), 80-Column preview window, single standalone htmlApp. Long URLs are handled manually.
License: Blue Oak↗ htmlApp: Blog.to.Plan App
Compatibility: All Paltforms Status: new 15 Jun 2026
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plancat uses plan.cat's↗ API to automate posting to your account via the command line. In the configuration section of the script - just enter your plan.cat username, preferred editor and optionally your password. Once the information is typed in, run "plancat". The following will occur:
- Your current .plan file will be retrieved
- You will be prompted for your password (if not set in the script)
- The .plan file will automatically load into your terminal editor
- Edit, save and exit
- On exit, the file is uploaded to your plan.cat account
- The script exits successfully (temporary files cleared)
Author's Note: It feels really cool to update my plan.cat↗ account this way.
License: Blue Oak↗ Screenshot: Help screen Script: plancat
Status: updated 22 Jul 2026 (major upgrade)
Compatibility: Linux, macOS, *BSD
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nview is a Bash wrapper that captures finger client output and displays it in NFO Viewer↗. Features include a CLIENT_NAME variable (currently set to 'finger'), automated temporary file cleanup and a user-friendly help section.
Author's Note: I enjoy reading .plan files with terminal-based clients but I go through phases where I route everything through 'NFO Viewer'. Requires both NFO Viewer and this script. The "install" is simple. The rewards...? see the screenshots below.
License: Blue Oak↗ Screenshots: Light, Dark Script: nview.txt
Compatibility: Linux and macOS Status: updated 10 Jun 2026
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point may be the world's smallest dependency-free finger client at 61 characters (62 bytes; 61 characters plus \n). Uses Bash's built-in /dev/tcp (TCP sockets) plus printf and cat. Save the single line in a file (shebang line not needed) if Bash is your default shell.
exec 3<>/dev/tcp/${1#*@}/79;printf '%s\r\n' ${1%@*}>&3;cat<&3
Usage: point echo@plan.cat (bash is default)
bash point user@host (bash not default)
Features: Tiny size :-) Supports 7 & 8-bit
Limits: alphanumeric user/host input (no special characters)
Requires: Bash with /dev/tcp support
Inline expansion was the key to a smaller size:
${1#*@} : Remove the left side of $1, including "@"
${1%@*} : Remove the right side of $1, including "@"
Use this for a safer version allowing for special characters (65 characters)
exec 3<>"/dev/tcp/${1#*@}/79";printf '%s\r\n' "${1%@*}">&3;cat<&3
Smaller Versions Here
npoint is smaller at 37 characters but uses netcat (3rd-party):
printf '%s\r\n' ${1%@*}|nc ${1#*@} 79
Note: 41 byte version is safer, allowing for special characters.
printf '%s\r\n' "${1%@*}"|nc "${1#*@}" 79
cpoint is even smaller at 33 bytes but uses curl:
curl gopher://${1#*@}:79/0${1%@*}
Note: 35 byte version is safer, allowing for special characters.
curl "gopher://${1#*@}:79/0${1%@*}"
License: Blue Oak License↗ Status: new 17 Jul 2026
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get-news is an in-house two-line script written to render and reformat the output of a finger account that uses github actions to auto-create a news site. This script is specific to the account: "finger bot@happynetbox.com" and requires nf (netfinger) to function.
Other ways to render and make the links clickable are via lynx, nview, portal.mozz.us↗ and thebackupbox.net↗.
License: n/a
Screenshot: get-news.png script: get-news.txt
Compatibility: Linux only Status: updated 01 Dec 2025
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Command Line
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menu is a simple Linux-based menu template with examples. Easy to modify to suit your needs - no documentation needed. The script uses netcat and some common terminal commands (in a safe way) for testing.
License: Blue Oak↗
Screen: Main Screen script: menu.template.txt
Compatible: Linux, macOS, BSD Status: updated 19 Jul 2026
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uni2asc (Unicode to 7-bit ASCII) is an in-house, sed-based script that converts specific Unicode characters to their closest 7-bit counterparts.
It is easy to add, remove or modify the current replacement pairs directly in the script.
Author's Note: This script exist as a command-line version of the "Binary Markdown Killer". It is particularly useful for cleaning AI-generated markdown.
License: Blue Oak License↗
Screenshot: Help script: uni2asc.txt
Compatibility: Linux, macOS, BSD Status: updated 24 Mar 2026
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HTML & Markdown
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Binary Markdown Killer has one primary job: it strips out some common binary (word-processing) characters from a Markdown file, converting them to their 7-bit ASCII counterparts. This is its core purpose.
As a secondary function, it converts the cleaned Markdown into HTML 3.2.
The resulting HTML is available in its own Text Area window. Optionally, you can copy the rendered 7-bit ASCII text (sans HTML tags) from the [Preview] tab.
License: Blue Oak License↗
htmlApp: Binary Markdown Killer
Compatibility: All platforms Status: Last update 09 Jul 2026
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Clocks, Calendar
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World Clocks is a simple htmlApp that displays the current time of 12 cities around the world. Adding or editing cities requires some light modification to the HTML and JavaScript - which is documented on the page itself.
License: Blue Oak↗
htmlApp: World Clocks
Status: new 28 Dec 2025
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Spartan Protocol
sbl (Spartan Bookmark Launcher) is a simple menu that displays a numbered set of spartan sites stored within the script and uses netcat to retrieve them; gmir and less to display them.
License: Blue Oak License↗ Screenshot: Main Script: sbl.txt
Compatibility: Linux, macOS, *BSD Status: new 24 Jul 2026
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ASCII, ANSI
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An in-house ASCII Template that I use on my .plan files. I have fun adding a little ASCII flair to finger updates. This htmlApp works similarly to cowsay↗ and boxes↗ (but uses only a single template). It takes data and inserts it into a fixed-size ASCII Template.
Author's Note: It's in-house - so... maybe it could look nicer (I think it looks perfect:-) but it gets the job done for me. I plan on adding another template/htmlApp (for example: this one is next). Others may follow after that.
Main: Template htmlApp: main.template Status: minor update 15 May 2026
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ANSI Retro Tool (art) is a homemade ANSI Art viewer and CP437-to-UTF8 converter built from standard Linux tools: iconv, sed, echo -e and cat
Author's Note: ART is a basic ANSI viewer. Some files may not display correctly. It was created specifically to automate posting ANSI art to finger accounts and to make files Linux-terminal compatible.
Additional notes, background and demo at this ANSI Art page
License: Blue Oak↗ Sample: Spock Help: Screenshot Script: art.txt
Compatibility: Linux only Status: update 04 Mar 2026
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Fun
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bike-demo is both a demo and a template for creating simple ASCII-based animations. Its purpose is to make frame-by-frame animation editing as visually friendly as possible - just add your own frames and adjust sleep values.
Author's Note: I wanted a terminal-based storytelling format and tried several methods. This approach seemed best suited for the short-form storytelling and other little projects I had in mind with everything in a single file.
License: Blue Oak↗ Script: bike-demo.txt Status: new 27 Jun 2026
Compatibility: Linux, macOS, *BSD
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Happy New Year bash script. Fun little animation to bring in the new year. Safe to run, just a bunch of text sent to stdout with a few delays.
License: Blue Oak↗ Script: Happy New Year Status: new 30 Dec 2025
Compatibility: Linux, macOS, *BSD
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The Random Dog Facts page is a fully working minimalist template that uses arrays to display facts randomly.
This is a rewrite of a previous htmlApp that relied on an external API and a CORS proxy. Issues along the pipeline forced me to create a standalone, self-reliant version.
Note: The dog facts included were generated by AI and therefore... slop-ridden. I am looking for a permissively licensed, verified data set to replace them - so that I don't have to independently verify 100 factoids;-)
License: Blue Oak↗ Page: Dog Facts Status: updated 15 May 2026
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quotes is a lightweight cross-platform Python-based random quote generator. Both the script (quotes) and a quotes file (quotes.txt) are needed.
License: Blue Oak License↗
File: Quotes File
Script: quotes.py.txt
Compatibility: Linux, macOS and Windows
Status: updated 15 May 2026, Quotes File (quotes.txt) only
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txt2bin is a script that takes a text file and converts it into a self-displaying, portable binary. It uses musl-gcc to create a smaller-sized binary. Great for short text and ASCII Art.
Author's Note: This is a fun program that was created as a prop to the short story: The Council of Linux Greybeards. Its existence in the real world feels like fourth wall stuff. Details are here.
License: Blue Oak License↗ Script: txt2bin.txt Status: new 14 Dec 2025
Compatibility: Linux, macOS, *BSD
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lotto is a python script that generates a unique set of random numbers within a given range - making it a solid basic lottery number generator for various games.
License: Blue Oak License↗ Screenshot: Help (png) Script: lotto.txt
Compatibility: Linux, macOS, *BSD Status: new 26 Jun 2026
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Privacy & Security
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Scream into the Void is a privacy-friendly alternative to HBO's data-slurping web page of the same name. Sometimes you need the cathartic release of primal expression - where the id and ego collide in a place that can contain the explosion. This portable htmlApp is such a place.
License: Blue Oak↗
htmlApp: Scream into the Void
Compatibility: All Status: new 12 Dec 2025
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Templates
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The Monospace is a minimalist CSS template featuring a large monospace font, styled tables/code/links, ASCII art support and responsive media (images scale, tables scroll on mobile).
CSS: Lightweight and browser-friendly. See the demo below. 39 total declarations: 10 CSS 3 and 29 that are CSS 2.1 or less.
License: The Unlicense↗ Template: The Monospace Status: new 07 Jun 2026
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The Fieldset is a minimalist CSS template featuring the fieldset tag as the core element for styling a web page.
License: The Unlicense↗ Template: The Fieldset Status: new 10 Jun 2026
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Unsorted
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codepage437 is a UTF-8 friendly version of the original code page for DOS. Includes conversion information (linux) to make it compatible with code pages used on other operating systems.
Author's Note: I didn't know where to put this and this page seemed like the current best fit.
License: CC0: No Rights Reserved↗ Page: cpage437
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3rd-party Wares / Forks
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Rot Converter is a well-done third-party online converter for ROT5, ROT13, ROT18 and ROT47. This htmlApp was created in 2006 and I downloaded it at some point after that. I've had it on my various computers ever since.
I thought about adding additional simple ciphers but decided this htmlApp is perfect as is. Certainly digging the UI. Listing it here because it's fun to have at the ready.
License: GNU GPLv2↗
Author: Netzreport
htmlApp: ROT Converter
Compatibility: All platforms Status: listed 10 Jul 2026
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[Fork]: Text Calendar is a really nice looking (mostly ASCII) 12-month calendar. It was not created by me. It's from Anastasios Gogos↗. I made only two tweaks: (1) the weeks now run from Sun-Sat and (2) edited the footer.
Update: Tweak #3 brings a 100% 7-bit ASCII version without the Unicode line characters (U+2500 and U+2501).
License: MIT↗
Author: github↗
htmlApp : Text Calendar (w/unicode)
Compatibility: All platforms Status: new 05 Oct 2025
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