- install Ruby if you're on windows (use this link)
- install jekyll and the Ruby package installer, which is called "bundler":
gem install jekyll bundler
Then clone the site and also get a local copy of the content directory. You will need to have set up ssh tokens for github. Cf. this explanation on github If that seems impossibly complex... I will update the instructions. But it will mean inputting your github credentials all the time.
git clone git@github.com:DigitalHistory/covid-jekyll-site.git
git submodule init
git submodule update
Now, get everything you need up and running:
bundle install
bundle exec jekyll serve
now navigate to http://localhost:4000 and see if you can see the site