Adding images into a post was also nicer. Just drag and drop instead of copy into folder, check into git, manaully type urls like it is now.
I use a private repo on github so at least I can add something without having to be at my computer but still no preview or nice UI.
Any static generators have well designed solutions for this?
I'm not personally aware of a static site generator that supports drag-and-drop images, but nothing stops such an extension/plugin from existing. When I want to embed an image on my site, it goes into an /images/[year]/ folder and is referenced in the markdown file with the manually-typed partial URL, as you mentioned.
Not really. You can keep the local server running and a browser window open. The server can be configured to regenerate the site as changes are made. Simply refresh the page to see your changes.
>>>First, all my writing would be stored in a Git repository. This would ensure that I could try out different ideas and explore a variety of posts all from the comfort of my preferred editor and the command line. I’d be able to publish a post via a simple deploy script or post-commit hook. Complexity would be kept to an absolute minimum, so a static site would be preferable to a dynamic site that required ongoing maintenance. My blog would need to be easily customizable; coming from a graphic design background means I’ll always be tweaking the site’s appearance and layout.
Which are the exact same wishes I had with my own blog, and I assume many other "hacker" types have for theirs, as well. I don't remember why I settled on Pelican (Python) over Jekyll (Ruby), but either tool is a fantastic choice for blogs... and I now understand that's because Jekyll was literally created to support those goals!