Essays, technical articles, Japanese study journals and notes by Ashleigh Garnett.https://ashleigh-garnett.pages.dev/en-gbhttps://ashleigh-garnett.pages.dev/writing/small-systems/https://ashleigh-garnett.pages.dev/writing/small-systems/A fictional technical essay about making software easier to understand, one boundary at a time.Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT<p>A fictional technical essay about making software easier to understand, one boundary at a time.</p><p><a href="https://ashleigh-garnett.pages.dev/writing/small-systems/">Read the full piece on the site</a></p>https://ashleigh-garnett.pages.dev/writing/margin-index/https://ashleigh-garnett.pages.dev/writing/margin-index/An imagined command-line notebook for keeping a trail through things read and learned over time.Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT<p>This is a fictional software-project concept used to demonstrate the technical article format. No working application, repository or release is being claimed.</p> <h2 id="the-idea">The idea</h2> <p>A small local tool could record a title, a source and a sentence about why something was worth keeping. Plain-text files would make the notes easy to inspect and move.</p> <h2 id="an-imagined-interface">An imagined interface</h2> <pre class="astro-code astro-code-themes github-light-high-contrast github-dark-high-contrast code-block syntax-overflow"><code><span class="line"><span class="syntax-color-l-702c00 syntax-color-d-ffb757">margin</span><span class="syntax-color-l-032563 syntax-color-d-addcff"> add</span><span class="syntax-color-l-032563 syntax-color-d-addcff"> "A question worth keeping"</span><span class="syntax-color-l-023b95 syntax-color-d-91cbff"> --tag</span><span class="syntax-color-l-032563 syntax-color-d-addcff"> reading</span></span> <span class="line"><span class="syntax-color-l-702c00 syntax-color-d-ffb757">margin</span><span class="syntax-color-l-032563 syntax-color-d-addcff"> list</span><span class="syntax-color-l-023b95 syntax-color-d-91cbff"> --tag</span><span class="syntax-color-l-032563 syntax-color-d-addcff"> reading</span></span></code></pre> <p>These commands are illustrative and do not refer to an installed tool.</p> <h2 id="what-would-make-it-useful">What would make it useful?</h2> <ul> <li>A format that remains readable without the tool.</li> <li>Clear separation between private notes and published material.</li> <li>A way to follow a subject across several entries.</li> </ul> <p>The related <a href="https://ashleigh-garnett.pages.dev/writing/small-systems/">essay on small systems</a> demonstrates how a project and a longer piece of writing can connect.</p>