6 ms·

Ask HN: Bootstrap Alternatives?

40 points by stevenklein 14y ago

Twitter Bootstrap is an amazing resource for free baseline styles, interface components and interactions. Are there other companies out there who have released their own version of similar resource?

ojr 14y ago
zurb http://foundation.zurb.com/ http://foundation.zurb.com/
dylanhassinger 14y ago
I'm working on one, hope to release it officially soon. http://bedrocktheme.com http://bedrocktheme.com Download it here: https://github.com/dylanized/bedrock https://github.com/dylanized/bedrock
- stevenklein 14y ago
  Would love to see updates when it's done -- stklein89@gmail.com
tonyjwang 14y ago
If I'm a non-technical person with minimal coding skills (C++, editing HTML/CSS, rudimentary knowledge of Ruby), should I invest time and effort to learn Bootstrap/Foundation? My goal is to develop a functional MVP that I can take to potential customers; I've validated the need for my product through individual sales but feel like I need to test a semi-functioning site to see if my idea can scale. Would appreciate suggestions, alternatives.
- tonyjwang 14y ago
  Should I post this question as its own thread? I'm new to the HN community and haven't figured out all the norms around posting yet. Thanks.
  - twog 14y ago
    No, you responded correctly.
- tga 14y ago
  You don't really "learn Bootstrap". If you can do web development, you just use whatever parts of Bootstrap you want by mirroring the homepage's code. If not, it's HTML/CSS that you have to learn and then you'll find Bootstrap an good resource.
  - tonyjwang 14y ago
    That makes sense, thanks.
shpoonj 14y ago
http://getskeleton.com/ http://getskeleton.com/ It's not nearly as complex as Bootstrap which is great when you want create some pages quickly and use your own styles.
- stevenklein 14y ago
  I like the responsive grid. Would like to see some more UI elements but that doesn't really seem like that's it's goal in the first place.
- bmelton 14y ago
  I like Skeleton the best of all the recommendations I've seen thus far, and use it in most of my recent projects. Skeleton, unlike all the other things I've seen mentioned, has almost no overhead, and pretty much stays out of your way. It's got sensible defaults, isn't as recognizable as bootstrap, and doesn't have any cruft. The biggest knock on it is that it doesn't have enough widgets, but I for one don't want them. I just want a responsive grid framework that looks decent out of the box. If you're like-minded, Skeleton is a treasure.
jimmyjim 14y ago
Foundation by Zurb - http://foundation.zurb.com/ http://foundation.zurb.com/ (which I think preceded Bootstrap's existence in time) is very polished, and really is a serious contender. I recall someone earlier describing it as the preferred choice for those who want to go a few extra steps to retrofitting the framework to their own liking.
- dylanpyle 14y ago
  Thanks a ton for posting this - I didn't realize I was looking for a Bootstrap replacement 'til I found this thread, but this feels cleaner in a lot of very nice ways.
- stevenklein 14y ago
  Ah exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks.
- dlf 14y ago
  Looked at this last week. Seems great and get's points for not being Bootstrappy. In the end, I ended up using Bootstrap and dealing with the hassle of digging through the CSS to get a less bootstrappy look so I could use the handy Javascript plugins that are included, namely scrollspy. Looking back, I actually can't think of another reason why I chose Bootstrap over Foundation.
nishantmodak 14y ago
Related question: Would creating a wordpress site with a 'nice' template - not be easier?
Afal 14y ago
HTML Kickstart - http://www.99lime.com/ http://www.99lime.com/
- fourmii 14y ago
  This is pretty nice. Thanks! Has a ton of features I've been looking for.
- stevenklein 14y ago
  Wow that is really nice. Thanks for commenting.
thedillio 14y ago
http://html5boilerplate.com/ http://html5boilerplate.com/ is a great choice not yet mentioned. More of a blank slate though so you will need to do some design work. It is responsive in nature which makes formatting for mobile devices easier too.

40 points by stevenklein 14y ago

Twitter Bootstrap is an amazing resource for free baseline styles, interface components and interactions. Are there other companies out there who have released their own version of similar resource?

ojr 14y ago

zurb http://foundation.zurb.com/ http://foundation.zurb.com/

dylanhassinger 14y ago

I'm working on one, hope to release it officially soon. http://bedrocktheme.com http://bedrocktheme.com Download it here: https://github.com/dylanized/bedrock https://github.com/dylanized/bedrock

stevenklein 14y ago
Would love to see updates when it's done -- stklein89@gmail.com

tonyjwang 14y ago

If I'm a non-technical person with minimal coding skills (C++, editing HTML/CSS, rudimentary knowledge of Ruby), should I invest time and effort to learn Bootstrap/Foundation? My goal is to develop a functional MVP that I can take to potential customers; I've validated the need for my product through individual sales but feel like I need to test a semi-functioning site to see if my idea can scale. Would appreciate suggestions, alternatives.

tonyjwang 14y ago
Should I post this question as its own thread? I'm new to the HN community and haven't figured out all the norms around posting yet. Thanks.
- twog 14y ago
  No, you responded correctly.
tga 14y ago
You don't really "learn Bootstrap". If you can do web development, you just use whatever parts of Bootstrap you want by mirroring the homepage's code. If not, it's HTML/CSS that you have to learn and then you'll find Bootstrap an good resource.
- tonyjwang 14y ago
  That makes sense, thanks.

shpoonj 14y ago

http://getskeleton.com/ http://getskeleton.com/ It's not nearly as complex as Bootstrap which is great when you want create some pages quickly and use your own styles.

stevenklein 14y ago
I like the responsive grid. Would like to see some more UI elements but that doesn't really seem like that's it's goal in the first place.
bmelton 14y ago
I like Skeleton the best of all the recommendations I've seen thus far, and use it in most of my recent projects. Skeleton, unlike all the other things I've seen mentioned, has almost no overhead, and pretty much stays out of your way. It's got sensible defaults, isn't as recognizable as bootstrap, and doesn't have any cruft. The biggest knock on it is that it doesn't have enough widgets, but I for one don't want them. I just want a responsive grid framework that looks decent out of the box. If you're like-minded, Skeleton is a treasure.

jimmyjim 14y ago

Foundation by Zurb - http://foundation.zurb.com/ http://foundation.zurb.com/ (which I think preceded Bootstrap's existence in time) is very polished, and really is a serious contender. I recall someone earlier describing it as the preferred choice for those who want to go a few extra steps to retrofitting the framework to their own liking.

dylanpyle 14y ago
Thanks a ton for posting this - I didn't realize I was looking for a Bootstrap replacement 'til I found this thread, but this feels cleaner in a lot of very nice ways.
stevenklein 14y ago
Ah exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks.
dlf 14y ago
Looked at this last week. Seems great and get's points for not being Bootstrappy. In the end, I ended up using Bootstrap and dealing with the hassle of digging through the CSS to get a less bootstrappy look so I could use the handy Javascript plugins that are included, namely scrollspy. Looking back, I actually can't think of another reason why I chose Bootstrap over Foundation.

nishantmodak 14y ago

Related question: Would creating a wordpress site with a 'nice' template - not be easier?

Afal 14y ago

HTML Kickstart - http://www.99lime.com/ http://www.99lime.com/

fourmii 14y ago
This is pretty nice. Thanks! Has a ton of features I've been looking for.
stevenklein 14y ago
Wow that is really nice. Thanks for commenting.

thedillio 14y ago

http://html5boilerplate.com/ http://html5boilerplate.com/ is a great choice not yet mentioned. More of a blank slate though so you will need to do some design work. It is responsive in nature which makes formatting for mobile devices easier too.