I am trying to build a small website. I don’t know how to write HTML or JavaScript or CSS. I always hear sponsorships about SquareSpace from content creators such as TheLinuxExperiment. I understand that a website is public information but I want a builder that does not come with any unnecessary trackers, I.E. a noninvasive website. Are there any options?
Just a portfolio
Okay. So you need to build at least one page, and host it somewhere.
To create the page, you’ll need some HTML/CSS code (and maybe some Javascript). If you want that Squarespace-like drag-and-drop experience, you’ll need some kind of editor to write the code for you. See if any of these seem like what you want. I haven’t used any personally (I’m pretty comfortable writing HTML/CSS by hand), but I’d try BlueGriffon or Sea Monkey.
Then for hosting, you have lots of options. Some are free. Check out this list to get an idea. Amazon AWS and some of the others aren’t exactly “FOSS,” but GitHub/GitLab Pages are pretty harmonious with open source software, and most of the hosts listed won’t bloat your site with creepy analytics and stuff.
Finally, if you wanted a custom domain (e.g. “magneticfusion.com” instead of “magneticfusion.github.io”), you’d need to find a domain name registration service and point it at your hosted page. This part would not be free.
I don’t think any “one stop shop” solution as simple and foolproof as Squarespace exists in the FOSS space, although I’d be happy to be proven wrong. As is often the case with FOSS, you need to do some tinkering and cobbling together yourself. But it’s not too hard, and you’ll learn some neat stuff in the process.
Let me know if you have any follow-up questions, I’m happy to help.
To add to this, there’s Sourcehut Pages too, which is a free software code forge unlike Github. Sourcehut is very minimal and doesn’t even use Javascript in its interface. The landing page for Sourcehut declares in no uncertain terms:
I can’t say I’ve used the Pages functionality myself as I already have my own website hosting, but the quick-start guide seems pretty approachable: https://srht.site/quickstart
It might be easier to use Hugo to build the website files if you don’t want to learn HTML/CSS. If you want to use a custom domain name, the steps seem simple enough: https://srht.site/custom-domains
Sourcehut is in Alpha at the moment, so it’s free, but they intend on charging for it once they’re out of Beta. You can optionally pay for it now, and the prices are pretty reasonable.