Looking Back - The Journey thus far!

Date: October 5, 2025

Today I had a headache, maybe I didn't have enough sleep. I tried working on chaufr yesterday. I created the *.ml files relevant to this week's tasks. I finished it, but it did not feel quite right. The tasks were completed alright, but I just felt like a hack, as I am really dependent on GH Copilot for the development of this project. I have to say, it sure helps bridge the knowledge gap for anyone starting out. But I miss out on the human/social connection of geeking out with others about what I'm building.

My journey in OCaml web development has been f*** around and find out. It was that process that led to me building a static site generator using the language with just 2648 lines of OCaml code. It was a case of trial and error. But I am proud of the outcome.

I would have posted about chaufr this weekend, but I seem to be confused on the project thus far. I have a list of task broken down, which I pick each weekend as you will see from the blog

I have reached out to some friends I have made on Discord if they can offer me 30 minutes to 1 hour of their time so I can share my project and its design to them, so we can exchange ideas and I can have the necessary feedback to continue the project.

I guess I have not gotten used to building alone yet. I will admit I do not have everything figured out in OCaml, I am just an interested learner who likes the type inference ability of the compiler, the lack of excess brackets in the language and its overall aesthetics is very pleasing to me. I do have to say, the superpower of OCaml is its community. Discord was my first contact with them and they have been helpful and supportive.

I have added to my calendar the OCaml Compiler office hours that will take place on Friday thanks to gasche. There is also the dream developers meet-up on Friday too on the webdev channel on Discord.

I would like to give a huge shout out to Sabine, Shon, Jan, Jay, Ivan, John, Onus, Yawaramin, and Raphael. These are members of the OCaml community that have made my experience with the language remarkable.

I'll give an update next week after I have had the one-on-one session about the chaufr project with a fellow OCaml engineer so my assumptions can be validated or refuted. I really look forward to it; a friend on Discord has already indicated interest. I am just waiting to finalize the details regarding the day and time for our session.

Have a great weekend and Happy Hacking