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for me, it's got to be regulus. customised header image, comments in pages, and you get to choose different colours for the theme. it has a clean look that's not too boring and you can change the position of the sidebar from left to right (so it doesn't look so boring week in week out - i think so anyway). also, the available header images to choose from if one doesn't have a customised one are very good too.
what's yours? and why?
default theme (kubrick) based... it loads fast and having search "autofill" feature.
I have to go with Blix. Regulus is a bit too heavy and boxy for me, and the Default is too ... defaulty. What I like about my Blix blog is the custom header, the pages that appear as tabs just beneath the title (wish they were narrower, though), the search box right at the top, and the overall clean look, with fresh colors and white space that help to differentiate between posts.
Blix is a bit broken right now -- you'll notice the "links" category on the right doesn't look like the others (that just happened about two weeks ago) -- but hopefully the fine folks at WordPress will fix that soon.
Um, I gotta admit that I have issues with all of them. Usually either because of the width of the main column, no sidebar on the single Post page or because the single Post page doesn't have links for the previous/ Next Posts.
But, if you haven't guessed that by now...
:)
drmike: we all have issues with the themes - even thr are some things i don't like abt regulus, but which is the best in spite of them?
I really liked the Ambiru one but without widget support and having the category and link lists at the bottom and not being able to remove them using widgets, I can't use it myself.
I keep going back to Almost Spring, purely and simply because I find it the most aesthetically pleasing of the bloggy layouts. I wouldn't say it's the best theme, just that it's the best theme for my particular blog. (There are prettier ones, such as Dusk and Thirteen, but they feel too 'personal journal' for my site)
An aside: I do note that most of the blogs I visit still have the default theme installed.
I'm wondering if one of us should do a "things to do first when you get your blog" checklist for the FAQ.
I think a things to do first when you get your new blog is a terrific idea. Are you thinking of creating a checklist?
*humor* If so the top of that list should be reading the FAQ and every alternating point on the checklist should be reading the FAQ too. (lol)
Interesting question. I still haven't found a theme that I liked better than the default, and I tried them all. But always had to switch back to the default theme.
What I like in particular are the justified margins. It looks clean and orderly, and the way blockquotes, links, code, colours and the like are handled appeals to me.
There are a couple of things I would like to be able to change though. A timestamp showing when a post was published and edited the last time would be nice.
I'm also waiting for the customized header...
I always try out for a minute every new theme that comes out and I always go back to Regulus by Binary Moon.
I find it pretty amazing the complete disparity in the different features that different themes support.
It would be nice if some volunteers could take over supporting the themes, or at least if someone generated a checklist of all the features a theme should support.
I'd also love it if there were sample wordpress.com blogs for each of the themes so I could see for myself how they look with real data without having to switch back and forth in all of them.
I still prefer Regulus over any of the others. I'm thinking of setting up a test blog just to be able to see how the themes look (I've been using the "Next Blog" feature for that).
I agree that this is something that is really needed.... at least if someone generated a checklist of all the features a theme should support.
@engtech
I share your sentiments and have previously suggested a checklist of all the features that the current themes support would be useful. Of course it's easy for a newbie non-coder like myself lacking in skills to pop off at the mouth suggesting more work for other volunteers to do, but it would be great to see a leveling out, or should I more appropriately say, a ramping up of the existing themes so they all have the same features. Setting aside the lack of feminine colour themes [hint]for a moment, I would much prefer the ramping up to the addition of more themes which will be variable in their functionality and variable in the features they have. So engtech I noticed that you have the skills ... [hint] ... volunteer work? :)
thanks for all your replies guys. after reading them, the themes that keep popping up is regulus and default. with that in mind, maybe the wp team would look out for future themes with the functionality and look that these two have in common. pls, absolutely no obsolete un-widgetised themes in future!
Oh my sulz you're beginning to sound like one of those assertive and empowered women that threaten men.(lol) I've heard that hanging out with coyotes will have that effect. I mean once one has learned how to keep and use a howl list one will never give it up, right?
I'm also a Regulus user and have switched back and forth test flying every one of the themes. The ones I find least appealing are those with hearts and flowers and girl in green. The second least appealing themes to me are the blue and white ones.
While we're on a roll listing preferred themes I would like to one up your total sulz by requesting that the new theme I'm using on http://timethief.wordpress.com called "Light" also be shortlisted even though it hasn't been around long enough to become popular.
I find "Light" works very well for presenting my environmental/political information. I presume it would also work well for presenting other professional and business type information as well.
Thus far all the widgets are working well. The only constructive widget criticism I can offer is that the calendar widget [and IMO this ought to apply to all calendars on all themes] ought to have the same features as the one on the Regulus theme which I use on http://coyotes.wordpress.com. Specifically when you hover your mouse over the dates you should see the titles of the posts made on the date in quesion.
If we are speaking strictly of aesthetics [and I ask you what artist doesn't consider these to be of import] then I believe the Light theme could become more popular even though it lacks a customized photo heading feature, if a choice of colours for the headers and the highlight text (see the blog name subtitle) as well as the article titles could be made.
While I'm on the aesthetics kick I would also mention that the appearance of the sidebar would be more tidy looking if the widgets had icons or dots like one sees in the Regulus theme (see for example the listing of categories and sub-categories).
Generally speaking white and blue and gray and green are "cold" or at least "cool" colours. IMO what we lack is the "warm" colour shades and this is normally a reflection in art classes at any rate of male predominance. I have a strong personal aversion to the themes that look "dirty" white on their outer edges like Sapphire. But most of all I'm surprised that white is the only predominant background colour chosen presumably for contrast sake when cream is another and warmer coluor choice that developers could easily be make.
I'm one of the people looking forward to the release of Fauna. The built in customization Joen has incorporated in the Fauna theme strongly attracts me to it.
FYI- the calendar in your timethief blog does show the title of posts on the days that you have posts (look at 7/5 for example).
Regulus.
It has a really professional look and feel. But I really do wish they would fix the fact that the number of posts in a category appear on the next line. This is such a waste of space. Sometimes I think the text is rather faint, making it hard to read - but not sure that's a function of the template or not.
Hemingway for me!!
@vivianpaige
WOAH! You're right the Light Calendar does show the titles. Obviously I just wasn't hovering long enough before. Thanks for pointing this out to. Oh podz ... I goofed and mis-informed you ... I'm sorry.
Regulus.
Ben's writeup for wordpress allows for the most customisabilization. (I think I just invented a new word!) If anything, though, I think I'd like to see a three-column version of Regulus.
I like the default the best, just waiting for the custom header feature for it.
my vote is for Regulus. i've tried a few others but that's the one i'm happiest with. they had customised headers right from when i started with wordpress. that something put them on the top my wordpress.com theme list. I'm very happy with Andreas04 too. I'm using a different theme in each of my blogs :D and try out the new ones as soon as i'm aware of their availability.
The main reason I stick with Regulus by Binary Moon is because they don't show the time. And also I can have two pictures side by side instead of just one.
The main reason I stick with Regulus by Binary Moon is because they don't show the time. And also I can have two pictures side by side instead of just one.
Go to Dashboard >> Options >> General and clear the "Default time format:" to nothing.
Then any theme will not show the time.
Longstanding fan of Regulus but currently rotating around them all capturing screendumps on the way.
I tend to like minimalist, clean, white themes. I am currently using the recently added 'Light' theme which I quite like.
When the theme rotation is finally complete, I am going to conduct a poll of my thousands of readers, ignore the results and return to Regulus :-)
Flickr set of the 27 themes used thus far.
No one likes "Neat"?
so, aside from the subjective 'not-being-ugly' the non-negotiables are:
1. widgets (duh)
2. next/prev post links
3. sidebar in single post view
4. commentable page template
5. custom header image
6. 'wide enough' content column
7. bullet for lists
what else?
P.S.
@engtech - the issue with the feature disparity is that themes were developed at different times. connection, for example, is now being developed completely by matt. phu ly's themes are fairly recent, as is regulus. but unless the staff takes an interest in a theme like regulus or fauna, the theme author has no control over the wordpress.com development. they can update feature sets all they want, and we'll never see them.
8. fat footers with widgets
9. wide blogs like "silver is the new black" cross-reference to point 6.
10. a special widget for the most popular posts or at the very least an icon
9. - do you mean 'fluid' width? (content column expands to fill the browser no matter how wide)
i just have issues with any theme that i can't post a decent size picture in. but that's 500px for me, and that can be done with a fixed width theme (ex. connections)
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