This site is a structured field guide. It is not a wiki, not a traditional blog, and not a documentation site — though it borrows something from each. The website format is for easy navigation and cross-referencing, but it reads like a book — and like a book, it will demand your attention. It’s long because the problem deserves it.

It is built around three kinds of content that serve different reading modes.

The manual

The manual is for reading in order. Each page builds on the last. Start at the beginning if you want to understand the whole subject from the ground up, or navigate to a specific chapter if you already know what you need.

The manual has a recursive structure. The same ground is covered four times, each pass with a different question in mind:

• The overview asks: what does this feel like? A short walk-through of the whole system, written for intuition. It is the closing chapter of this introduction.
• The non-technical pass asks: what do I actually do? Concrete setup and operation, written for someone who is not a computer person.
• The technical pass asks: why does each piece work the way it does, and how does it fail? It is for the computer-wiz helping someone set this up, and for anyone who wants to adapt the defaults to their own situation.
• The advanced pass asks: when do I deviate from the defaults? Hardening, higher-stakes situations, and the cases where good-enough is not enough.

This means the same fact may show up in all four passes — for example, “your offline vault lives on a USB you only plug into an air-gapped laptop” is mentioned in the overview, set up step-by-step in the non-technical pass, justified in the technical pass, and hardened in the advanced pass. Each pass earns its repetition by changing the question.

The reference section

The reference section is for looking things up. Entries are self-contained: a comparison table, a glossary definition, a template you can copy. Dip in when you need something specific; you do not need to have read the manual first.

Key terms are referenced in the Glossary section. You can use the “backlinks” to navigate to the pages where the terms are used.

Posts

The core of the guide in the field manual is not expected to change much. The posts are the place where I can add additional reading material as time marches on. The are completely optional and they are mostly aimed at technical people.

Where to start

TODO: Can only write this section once the manual is complete. The idea is that the four types of readers named on the landing page are now directed. All uninitiated readers can move on the to the overview section next for an introduction.