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Build Log

This is the intentional changelog for the systems around the site: the development environment, maintenance automation, publishing workflow, and notable site features. The automatic Updates page answers which notes changed; this page records what capability was added and why.

Each entry stays short:

  • Added — new capabilities and commands;
  • Changed — behavior that is now different;
  • Verified — the checks that passed;
  • Next — intentionally deferred work.

2026-08-04 — WSL Development Environment Refresh​

Added​

  • A safe configuration snapshot workflow with checksums, Conda exports, package lists, and restoration helpers. Projects, private SSH keys, and shell secrets are deliberately excluded.

  • A maintain command for routine Ubuntu maintenance:

    maintain status   # disk, caches, and pending updates
    maintain update   # safe in-place Ubuntu upgrades
    maintain clean    # reproducible package caches only
    maintain all      # update, clean, and report

  • Automatic Ubuntu security updates through systemd, limited to official security origins and configured never to reboot WSL automatically.

  • Small command-line tools for everyday work: fd, jq, shellcheck, pipx, ncdu, direnv, and hyperfine.

  • An optional Windows-side VHDX compaction helper for reclaiming host disk space after large Linux cache cleanups.

Changed​

  • Node.js moved from 20 to 24.18.1 and the site's pinned version was updated with it.
  • Conda no longer activates base for every terminal. It loads on first use, so conda activate <environment> still works while ordinary shells use Ubuntu's Python.
  • Shell startup now removes duplicate PATH entries, uses safer Git and system aliases, and integrates zoxide and direnv.
  • Package caches were reduced by about 18 GB. This creates free space inside WSL; shrinking the Windows VHDX remains a separate, explicit operation.

Verified​

  • Docusaurus production builds completed for English, Simplified Chinese, and French.
  • The Vite and Next.js projects passed their relevant build and test checks; known pre-existing lint debt was left unchanged.
  • Ubuntu completed all pending package updates with no broken or half-configured packages.
  • Fresh-shell testing confirmed lazy Conda activation, a deduplicated PATH, and working maintenance commands.
  • The final configuration snapshot passed every SHA-256 check and contained no private key or secrets file.

Next​

  • Move daily development from root to a normal WSL user only after active repository work is committed or otherwise secured.
  • Keep project migration separate from environment maintenance so file ownership and VS Code reconnection remain easy to verify and roll back.

Entry Template​

## YYYY-MM-DD — Short Outcome

### Added
- New capability and its primary command or entry point.

### Changed
- Important behavior change and why it was made.

### Verified
- Build, test, health check, or backup result.

### Next
- Deliberately deferred work, if any.