Website review
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What is Exa's Corner?
Exa's Corner is the personal website of Exa, a Java developer and Linux/BSD systems administrator who has worked with those systems since the late 2000s. The site is explicitly framed as a "digital garden": a low-friction space for notes, experiments and writing that doesn't follow a formal publishing process. The page itself is candid about this — it's a "living site with hot reload" where content may change while you're reading it.
What you'll find there
- Technical notes and write-ups, such as migrating Git repositories to SHA-256 and commentary on JVM arguments.
- Small tools and experiments, including GPIO pinout diagrams for uncommon single-board computers, a colorspace toy, a sticker generator and a web-based Suika Game clone.
- Project links for things Exa maintains, such as a Minecraft authentication server instance and a server status page.
- A document listing that can mark entries you haven't read or that have been updated since your last visit.
- Community and contact routes, including chat spaces, a code forge and video uploads.
Who it's for
The site suits readers who want raw technical notes rather than polished tutorials — people working with Java, Linux/BSD servers, Minecraft modding or self-hosted services. The author is upfront that the material is "a bit of a mess," which signals the value is in the specifics, not in structured navigation.
A practical next step
If you're chasing a particular problem, start with the document listing and scan for the topic area (Git, JVM, Djot, and so on) rather than browsing top to bottom. The listing's read/unread markers make it easy to return later and spot what has changed.
Who are Exa and what do they do?
Exa are Java developers and Unix/BSD system administrators who have worked in the field since 2009 and have used Linux and BSD as daily drivers since 2013. They are best known for Minecraft mods, but their work spans open-source code, free online services, and community projects.
On their personal site, Exa's Corner, they describe it as a "digital garden"—a low-friction place for notes, experiments and old blog posts rather than a polished portfolio. That framing matters: the site is explicitly a work in progress, and the page itself admits the project listing is still a placeholder.
What they actually work on
- Minecraft mods, published on Modrinth and CurseForge, which is how most people encounter them.
- Community hosting: they host and oversee the Sleeping Town community, with discussion bridged between a Matrix Space and a Discord Guild.
- Jortage, a hosting project.
- Open-source tools and toys, including a web-based Suika Game clone called Welon, a colorspace toy, a pie-chart SVG generator, and a Drasl instance (an alternative Minecraft authentication server).
- Technical writing in the digital garden, such as notes on migrating Git repositories to SHA-256 and on JVM arguments.
- Small utilities like GPIO pinout diagrams for uncommon single-board computers and a server status page.
They fund this work through donations, listing Helcim (card/ACH) as preferred and Patreon, Liberapay or PayPal as alternatives.
Who this is for
If you run Minecraft servers, tinker with SBCs, or care about self-hosting and open-source infrastructure, the garden pages and mod listings are the practical entry points. If you are looking for a structured project portfolio or documentation hub, the site will frustrate you—it is deliberately unordered and changes as it is written.
A useful next step: start with the document listing at Exa's Corner and use the star feature to track pages you have read, then follow the Modrinth link if Minecraft mods are your interest.
How can I support Exa's open source work and services financially?
You can support Exa's open source work and services through four payment options listed on the site: Helcim for direct card or ACH payments (their preferred method), or Patreon, Liberapay or PayPal if you already use one of those platforms. Choose Helcim if you want the lowest-friction, most direct route and don't mind entering card details on a new page; choose Patreon, Liberapay or PayPal if you already have an account there and prefer to keep your payment history in one place.
The site presents these as contributions toward full-time open source work and free online services, including Minecraft mods and the Jortage hosting project. If you also want to follow or discuss the projects rather than just donate, the same page points to a bridged Matrix Space and Discord Guild, plus a Mastodon account and a Forgejo instance for source code.
For a concrete next step: open Exa's Corner, pick Helcim if you have no strong platform preference, and otherwise use whichever of Patreon, Liberapay or PayPal you already use. If you're unsure whether a recurring or one-time contribution fits better, check each platform's options on its own page before committing.
Where can I find Exa's Minecraft mods and other projects?
Exa's Minecraft mods are published on Modrinth and CurseForge, and the site links both. The Forgejo instance hosts their source code, and the site also points to a GitHub and Codeberg presence. For community and project discussion, the same conversation is bridged across a Matrix Space and a Discord Guild, so you can pick either client.
Beyond mods, the page lists several smaller projects and services: assorted GPIO pinout diagrams for uncommon single-board computers, a colorspace toy, an SCP-style laptop sticker generator, pie-chart SVGs, Welon (a web-based Suika Game clone), a server status page powered by Uptime Kuma, and a Drasl instance as an alternative Minecraft authentication server. Exa also describes hosting and overseeing the Sleeping Town community and the Jortage hosting project. The "Document Listing" section collects garden pages and older blog posts, including notes on migrating Git repos to SHA-256, JVM arguments, and Djot.
If you're mainly after mods, start at Modrinth and check the Forgejo source for issues or development. If you want the broader picture, browse the document listing on Exa's Corner first—it's the index for everything else, including the orphaned side projects that aren't linked anywhere else.
How can I join the Sleeping Town community or chat with Exa?
Join through the community's bridged chat rooms. Exa's Corner lists a Matrix Space and a Discord Guild as the two entry points to the same community, so pick whichever client you already use and you will reach the same people. For direct contact, the site lists Matrix as the main chat route and email as reliable but not fast — a sensible split if you want a quick informal reply versus something you need in writing.
Practical next step
- Just want to talk: join the Matrix Space or Discord Guild and introduce yourself in the general channel.
- Need a considered answer: send email and expect a slower turnaround.
- Want to follow along quietly first: the Mastodon account is described as ramblings, and the site's document listing is where longer notes live.
Choosing between the routes
| Route | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Matrix Space | Real-time chat, open protocol | Needs a Matrix client |
| Discord Guild | Familiar interface for most gamers | Same room, different app; bridged, so messages cross over |
| Detailed or private questions | Explicitly "reliable (not fast)" | |
| Mastodon | Passive following | Not a conversation channel |
A concrete scenario: if you use the Sleeping Town Minecraft services and hit an authentication issue, the chat rooms will get you a faster informal response than email, while a detailed bug report with logs is better sent by email. The site also points to a status page and a Modrinth presence for the mods, which are worth checking before asking whether something is broken.
For context on the people behind it, the site notes they have run Linux and BSD for servers since 2009 and write Java, and that they maintain the Jortage hosting project — useful framing if your question is technical.
What tools and projects like Drasl, Welon, or the sticker generator has Exa made?
Exa's Corner lists several small, self-built tools and projects alongside its Minecraft mods and community work. The page groups them as "random things we've made or are responsible for that otherwise would not be linked from anywhere":
- Drasl: the site runs its own instance of Drasl, described as an alternative Minecraft authentication server.
- Welon: a web-based clone of Suika Game.
- SCP-style laptop sticker generator: a tool for making SCP-style stickers.
- Pie-chart SVGs: a utility for generating pie-chart SVG graphics.
- GPIO pinout diagrams: reference diagrams for uncommon single-board computers, plus Raspberry Pi ones for comparison.
- A colorspace toy: an interactive tool for experimenting with color spaces.
- Server status: a status page powered by Uptime Kuma.
The writing on the site also covers computing topics such as migrating Git repositories to SHA-256, JVM arguments, and Djot as a Markdown alternative, which fits the authors' stated background as Java developers and Linux/BSD system administrators. Beyond tools, they host or oversee the Sleeping Town community and the Jortage hosting project.
If you want to try one of these, start with Drasl if you need a Minecraft authentication alternative, or Welon and the sticker generator if you just want a quick browser toy; the pinout diagrams are the most practical reference item for hardware work.
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