Really like the site, and love the templates! I definitely went in with the pre-conceived notion that this was going to be another bootswatch clone, but I really like it!
This is really awesome, thank you for sharing this! In particular it's great to see the "Simple Sidebar" [0] example — I was just about to have to build one of these, so having a complete reference to work from is really helpful.
It's not my project. I am not involved with this project, in any way. I just shared this project, because I found it very useful. Glad everyone liked it.
Thank you! I am glad you found Start Bootstrap useful. If you have a personal suggestion for a template please let me know and I'll build it for you! Email me at feedback@startbootstrap.com and make sure you mention it's jalan from HN. I'll make whatever you want to the best of my ability!
Thanks a lot. I do appreciate all the hard work, you are putting into open source community. It's people like you, that make this open source community wonderful. And yes, will surely ask for your help, as my hands are weak in UI part. :)
This is great, I'd recommend pairing it with Bootsnipp [1]. It seems pretty feasible to almost create your own custom theme out of StartBootstrap, BootSnipp and a few other items from the Big Badass List [2] by just cut-n-paste - but I wish there were a "real" cross project build system.
Grab a template, slap on a theme from http://bootswatch.com, and you'll have something pretty nice. It will still require some further customization, but it's a great starting point!
Creator of Bootsnipp here, in fact the new Bootsnipp that I am building will be something along the lines of snippets+ interactive prototyping + hand coding if needed. Anybody will be able to build up on existing templates right there on Bootsnipp, no code editor needed.
I was planning to design my website today. Looks like Universe has responded !. Thanks for such an awesome templates. Web is a beautiful place because of u guys !
Personally I think the Bootstrap templates at wrapboostrap (http://wrapboostrap.com/) look far better and give you a much better starting point. Sure these are not free, but for a one-off website typically cost about $20 which is peanuts.
For the most part, I'd agree. I've bought a number of templates there. However, many of them tend to be very opinionated, adding a lot of JavaScript and non-Bootstrap markup. You see a lot of the same features that feel "me too!" (for example, parallax sliders) Once you buy and start converting to your needs, you'll find that the files and directory structure may be a little jacked up (recently did a lot of the work with the Ace Admin theme, and found image directories inside of the css directory, even though it had a separate root images directory, and there was both "images" and "img" directories.. fun.
That has been my assessment as well. I once bought a theme there and ended up spending more time changing the code so the classes are similar to what Bootstrap uses.
That's why I am starting http://bootmystrap.com/ All changes in just one LESS file, using same classes as Bootstrap so if you do buy a theme it actually saves you time.
I agree. If you're building a site you're going to end up maintaining for a long time, you should be building it from the ground up yourself. These sites are great at inspiration though! Your site showcasing extremely barebones demos is great.
I've had that same experience. I bought a theme very niavely thinking that it would follow bootstrap conventions and would be easily modifiable. Instead, I've got a huge mess and I think I'm just going to throw it out. I've been looking for a site like yours, that actually respects LESS. I hope it takes off and will definitely be keeping an eye on it.
Hi. I made Start Bootstrap. I agree that Wrap Bootstrap offers much better finished products than my tool. The purpose of my tool is to start with a somewhat blank slate.
Buying a template is like buying a finished painting and sticking it in a custom frame. Building a site from scratch is like painting your own painting.
Start Bootstrap is kind of like getting a paint-by-number. Some of the work is done, and the elements are there for you. If you want, you can just use the default styles and make it look okay, but if you're a bit more experienced as a painter you can make it look even better by adding some of your own style.
I definitely think that if you're looking for a nice, clean, completed template then head over to http://wrapbootstrap.com and check out their selection! If you're looking for something a bit more barebones, then http://startbootstrap.com is built for you! :)
I agree that they fill different needs and there's definitely room for both. I think a good addition to http://startbootstrap.com would be a few preconfigured palettes that will work with the templates.
Hi, I logged in to thank you for start bootstrap. I'm not from US and 20 $ isn't peanuts its about 1500 bucks with which i can host an entire website for 1 year( in my country). I really love your bare templates, and will start using them from my next project.
Thanks again for all the good work and keeping them free.
I feel like they serve two different purposes. The ready-made professional templates are finished/polished, I just need to fill in the copy/images. These are starter templates, I'd use these and add on my own styles to create my own unique design.
Because you might not have the budget for a Themeforest theme ?
Extended licenses, which you need for a Saas product, are around $800 or $900, which is affordable for a business (still way cheaper than hiring a designer), but far from free.
These themes are more bare-bones. That may be a good thing, depending on your needs, as I've found that ThemeForest (and WrapBootstrap even) themes tend to be very opinionated and JavaScript heavy, filled with features that I end up spending time pulling out anyways.
I'm not really seeing the point of this per se. Bootstrapping something that's already called Bootstrap? And then having to bootstrap that to make it unique?
Yeah I guess this is the one main criticism that I get with this. The first few templates that I added to the site were my own personal templates I used for projects, and I just decided to share them and see what kind of response I got because I didn't like the amount/quantity of the starter templates that Bootstrap had to offer. The response was good, so I kept going, but I do see your point.
I mentioned up in another post that using Start Bootstrap, or using Bootstrap at all for that matter, will never replace the artistic capability, uniqueness, and flexibility of designing a project from scratch.
Why do responsive themes/websites often collapse the top navigation bar into a menu button a lot before the space available becomes too short to hold it?
It sounds to me that the default action with both Bootstrap and Zurb is to stack the columns when the width is smaller, or possibly make them disappear completely. Is my understanding correct? If so, is this behavior customizable? Could one for example make a right column come on top instead of the bottom when the columns are stacked?
If your column comes before in HTML then it will come before when everything is stacked up in mobile resolutions.
The behavior to hide something is of course customizable. Bootstrap comes with certain classes [0] which can hide the content on mobile screens and show on desktop.
Are you saying (reminder, newbie here :-)) that it is possible to have a column come before in HTML and still appear right on the screen? Else, this means it is not possible to change the order in which the columns stack beyond what can be achieved using a nested grid.
The link above does suggest why the navigation bars collapse too soon sometimes (and sometimes too late). The collapse event is tied to the horizontal resolutions at 768, 992 and 1200 px, and does not depend on how much width the navigation bar actually needs (such that it is collapsed only when space available for it is too small).
If the column comes before in HTML then it will appear before as well according to the Bootstrap conventions laid out. However you are more than welcome to throw that all out and have the column to appear left, right, top, bottom wherever you want with simple CSS.
In terms of navigation, it is tied to resolution because it's easier to change code than to change devices owned by your users :)
They do it just to work with any amount of menu items usually. I don't like this approach personally... hiding primary navigation behind a click/touch drives me nuts.
There's no sense in using these templates when you can make a template as per your requirement using template builder like http://www.layoutit.com/build which lets you build your template using drag and drop.
No, I am not involved in the project, I just like it as I dont have to worry about my UI while implementing an Idea.
I wanted to quote more examples so as not to sound as if I am advertising it but couldnt find any other free service, rest all are paid.
I always find it interesting when there is a TON of articles on HN about building things from scratch, doing things yourself and essentially taking the slightly longer road for a better product.
I see a lot of these "starter templates" coming out almost as fast as new Javascript libraries. While I can see a benefit for some developers, I often wonder if the art of building a fast, responsive website from scratch has been lost in the sea of mass production website building.
Or is this just the wave of the future that I need to just deal with??
*EDIT: thanks for the advice from everyone. It does makes sense to have these ready made solutions so you can focus on what you really want to make great about the site or app you're building.
I have lots of experience with CMS and have also contributed to a CMS and still do QA. Yes, Sir it is a very important decision unless you give your users a very easy way to replace it for the front- and backend. People really often come and want to extend things in the backend, that leasds to customizations and some companies prefer white-labeled CMS's.
There are also plenty of people here who want to hack on something else and just need a website. That's why free, pre-made, packaged, ready-to-use scripts and templates will always be popular.
You could build your own webserver and scalable platform too. On the other hand, having a lot of what amounts to infrastructure built for you lets you focus on the real problem you're trying to solve rather than reinventing the wheel.
Don't see it as a mass-product, just because it was offered to a mass of audience, like the HN Crowd, who certainly bookmarked or shared it with friends. That won't make it a mass-product. The future you have to deal with is that more people jump into the DIY-Bandwagon and given the opportunity present their stuff to a huge audience. Which in return either requires improvements, perfectly deals with it (making it a part of the web-toolchain), or neglects the idea/product.
• The good thing about this development is that you will get more free stuff that you can try out, remix, fix and break things to your liking (given that's it's opensource).
• The bad things is that you will have to eat the bugs in your soup, sir. You can scream for a new soup, but there is no guarantee that you'll get a new one, unless many people like you are unsatisfied, or you make your voice heard on the media.
Constant flux is something you have to deal with in IT, but that doesn't mean that your hard learned lessons are gone. They are more valid than ever and you'll be amongst the few who still understand it. The DIY-Culture is only trying to understand this on a personal level and wants independant, more rapid innovation.
The reason for all that bases in our frustration with the world and the internet that allows us to go out and "fix it for the rest of us".
For me, I built Start Bootstrap from my own personal library of starter templates that I used for my company. Once Bootstrap 3 came around I updated my personal starter templates and figured why not share them with the world.
They serve a purpose as learning tools, inspiration, reference, or a quick way to get a decent looking site out for someone.
I have so much respect for the people out there who can build awesome things from scratch though, the talent of some designers out there blows my mind, and for something to really stand out and be unique I think custom is the only way to go.
85 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 167 ms ] thread[0]: http://startbootstrap.com/templates/simple-sidebar#
I find that Twitter Bootstrap is probably not the best framework when you are designing single page apps but it works.
Thanks for viewing my site, you're totally cool!
Full disclosure: I started the work on it, then mdo and fat refined it to meet their standards.
1 - http://www.bootsnipp.com/ 2 - http://www.bootstraphero.com/the-big-badass-list-of-twitter-...
Grab a template, slap on a theme from http://bootswatch.com, and you'll have something pretty nice. It will still require some further customization, but it's a great starting point!
Thank you!
Right link: https://wrapbootstrap.com/
That's why I am starting http://bootmystrap.com/ All changes in just one LESS file, using same classes as Bootstrap so if you do buy a theme it actually saves you time.
Buying a template is like buying a finished painting and sticking it in a custom frame. Building a site from scratch is like painting your own painting.
Start Bootstrap is kind of like getting a paint-by-number. Some of the work is done, and the elements are there for you. If you want, you can just use the default styles and make it look okay, but if you're a bit more experienced as a painter you can make it look even better by adding some of your own style.
I definitely think that if you're looking for a nice, clean, completed template then head over to http://wrapbootstrap.com and check out their selection! If you're looking for something a bit more barebones, then http://startbootstrap.com is built for you! :)
Thanks again for all the good work and keeping them free.
Extended licenses, which you need for a Saas product, are around $800 or $900, which is affordable for a business (still way cheaper than hiring a designer), but far from free.
[1] http://themeforest.net/forums/thread/picking-up-the-right-li...
I don't know too much about recursion, but finally I like what I did see after follow the link :-)
I mentioned up in another post that using Start Bootstrap, or using Bootstrap at all for that matter, will never replace the artistic capability, uniqueness, and flexibility of designing a project from scratch.
Why do responsive themes/websites often collapse the top navigation bar into a menu button a lot before the space available becomes too short to hold it?
It sounds to me that the default action with both Bootstrap and Zurb is to stack the columns when the width is smaller, or possibly make them disappear completely. Is my understanding correct? If so, is this behavior customizable? Could one for example make a right column come on top instead of the bottom when the columns are stacked?
The behavior to hide something is of course customizable. Bootstrap comes with certain classes [0] which can hide the content on mobile screens and show on desktop.
[0]: http://getbootstrap.com/css/#responsive-utilities
The link above does suggest why the navigation bars collapse too soon sometimes (and sometimes too late). The collapse event is tied to the horizontal resolutions at 768, 992 and 1200 px, and does not depend on how much width the navigation bar actually needs (such that it is collapsed only when space available for it is too small).
I wonder why things are built this way though.
In terms of navigation, it is tied to resolution because it's easier to change code than to change devices owned by your users :)
Also, no drag & drop UI is substitute for design common sense and flexibility.
I see a lot of these "starter templates" coming out almost as fast as new Javascript libraries. While I can see a benefit for some developers, I often wonder if the art of building a fast, responsive website from scratch has been lost in the sea of mass production website building.
Or is this just the wave of the future that I need to just deal with??
*EDIT: thanks for the advice from everyone. It does makes sense to have these ready made solutions so you can focus on what you really want to make great about the site or app you're building.
If my goal is to build a great CMS for Rails, does it ultimately matter if I chose to use a Start Bootstrap template for my views?
• The good thing about this development is that you will get more free stuff that you can try out, remix, fix and break things to your liking (given that's it's opensource).
• The bad things is that you will have to eat the bugs in your soup, sir. You can scream for a new soup, but there is no guarantee that you'll get a new one, unless many people like you are unsatisfied, or you make your voice heard on the media.
Constant flux is something you have to deal with in IT, but that doesn't mean that your hard learned lessons are gone. They are more valid than ever and you'll be amongst the few who still understand it. The DIY-Culture is only trying to understand this on a personal level and wants independant, more rapid innovation.
The reason for all that bases in our frustration with the world and the internet that allows us to go out and "fix it for the rest of us".
They serve a purpose as learning tools, inspiration, reference, or a quick way to get a decent looking site out for someone.
I have so much respect for the people out there who can build awesome things from scratch though, the talent of some designers out there blows my mind, and for something to really stand out and be unique I think custom is the only way to go.