As you can see, I’ve rewritten the theme for The Standard. It is now a modern Gutenberg block theme that just happens to look somewhat like the custom theme that has been running here since 2010. It had a few enhancements on the way. I like a nice clean and flexible interface that doesn’t require excessive tooling or licences. So no divi or elementor. This one is based on top of the SmartCube theme from ThemeZee – but simplified to less of a magazine layout.
I and GPT 5.6 Sol still have some work to do on the theme. But it is functional enough to operate, and that is our standard.
I will be letting someone with a few design skills (who I somewhat trust to look at it and offer good advice) to guide me in things that I really can’t be bothered with. Like aesthetics and the religious font wars. So yes, you can offer unsolicited advice, the young adult designer will look at it (and probably will scoff at your design sense). I’ll probably trade with some ideas on how to get AI do the detailing.
Leave comments in this post for features that you’d like to see. I probably won’t listen, but I will read them.
The main remaining visible functional feature to finish is the RSS blog roll. That has been recoded in c++ as a linux systemd service. It runs fine and runs with a secure grpc interface, or REST over ssh interface. The client side interface for this site is as it was. However I have to finish some features in the admin SPA. It should be up this week depending on my workload.
Similarly, I have to retire or rewrite a number of antique plugins – like the wsiwyg comment editor wrapper (mostly done). Plus fix some admin issues that plugins are currently affecting (like the editor role permissions). There are some quirky screen features that I need to clean up – like the search edit.
In the meantime, enjoy. This theme should scale from widescreen to cellphone using REM scaling. Let me know if you have problems on your hardware and browser.
Please tell me what you are running. I pretty much ignore requests and reports if you can’t tell me what type of machine (desktop, laptop, tablet, cellphone) and system (windows 7/10/11, linux Gnome/KDE, Apple OSX, android, Applee IOS), and browser (chrome, edge…) you’re using.
Arggh. That is bloody annoying. I'll have to find out why this is happening
On my android Samsung S23 cellphone, the new theme shows up as double column and tiny text on the Chrome browser. But it is single column and readable on both Firefox and Edge.
Not a problem. It was because my S23 chrome was set to Desktop Site mode. Triple dots and long scroll down the menu, then clicked off the checkbox… I could read it again.
Pretty flash on my Mac 21" Desktop running on Chrome Monterey. I don't understand the terms you use but applaud the clarity on screen.
Text is still too light for the background, making it hard on the eyes. Just needs to be a darker font black.
Macbook 26.6.2, Safari 26.6.2
Links in post stand out better (improvement on old theme, will have a look tonight to see how it is in a darker room).
Links on front page seem too bolded (post titles and authors). This would probably improve if the text on the front page was also darkened 😈
iPhone 16 iOS 26.5 Safari
Layout and menus access looks great.
I can reply from my phone ✨
similar light text issue but not as bad as laptop.
interesting spacing there from the iphone. Spaces get retained I guess. Not a problem.
Thanks weka – seeing if text can be darkened. It isn't bad but lately I have seen screens full of pale grey ghostly stuff and am disgusted as this unreadable style over substance method. I can't read it and don't want to know all buttons and levers to change to what should be practical delivery. (I traced the background to one bad example and it seems some hot-shot style studio.) I think lprent is more pragmatic and user-oriented thank goodness.
Also how can column be decreased in width to half computer screen if wanted? Or do I have to fish around in my computer settings each time I use the site? I find that too-wide screen stretches my eyes somehow, and I can't read message and get meaning as fast as the quick look across a narrower space. Don't know what it's like if using smaller devices. Cheers.
post your device and OS details.
Okay thanks but later. We have just had a sudden hailstorm with no damage. Bu my attention is elsewhere. And I have to consult my son who is my prop with tech.
Just reduce the browser window width is the easiest way. It goes out to 3 columns + sidebar. Reducing browser width reduces size of blocks, then drops to 2 columns + sidebar. Continued reduction drops the side bar and visual menu (and goes to pop outs). Further reduction in browser width drop into single column for cellphones.
Same kind of reductions for other screens.
It is black – colour is rgb(0,0,0). Open Sans-Regular, font-weight 400. Font size 16 px.
I'm guessing that it is anti-aliasing on the mac that is greying it down.
Umm probably not. I have an old Macbook Pro – that looks ok on Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. I'll send you a screenshot.
I have some block blue light filtering, shouldn't be running during the day, but will have a play around later.
Flash as.
I know you didn't ask for requests however…
Any chance the reply doo hicky could be moved to the left side of the box?
When using my phone I regularly hit it with my right thumb when scroliing down a page.
Chur regardless.
Actually I do too. Center seems like a good place and maybe requiring a solid press.
General aesthetics. I like the new colours, but the beige header and the new colours aren't a good match. Is there a historical attachment to retaining The Standard header colour?
Just someone clearing the beige off the image or redrawing it. I believe that it came from an image taken of an old copy of the paper Standard.
I liked those new colours, but it looks better with them turned off while the beige is there.
Less work to turn the colours off than it is de-beige the image. Look at that flag – teeny black smudgy lines. The image is from the 1931 masthead of The Standard.
Quote text is too large.
see also https://thestandard.nz/open-mike-24-09-2026/#comment-2073558
another example of the visuals
https://thestandard.nz/open-mike-24-09-2026/#comment-2073585
Yeah I'd noted that as well..
I don’t spend much time in front-end but looks good to me, lots of clear space and feels uncluttered.
One thing I noticed was that text and thumbnail images are slightly crisper and sharper, respectively, in Firefox than in MS Edge or Chrome.
Hyperlinked text stands out better now.
I’d prefer closed bullet symbols over open ones.
The Comments menu on the RH side doesn’t show date & time stamps.
Desktop PC Win10.
v1.0.13
v1.0.14
RH margin for text in Post appears to be larger than for comments, which creates a large empty space on the right of the Post.
Yep.. next update. I have to go off and be social so we can train the cat to be social with the person who will feed her when both of us are away.
This involves overcoming the the cats total resistance to unknown people with (what appears to be) a totally addictive substance called Purree Kiss that comes in very small packets. The cat will follow that packet into the living room with a couple of strangers within reaching distance (but no children) to lick whatever it is from the hands of whoever proffers it.
No money exchanges hands, and no crime is commited….
text in reply box is smaller than everything else. Not in the main comment box though.
Text in main reply box is nicely dark.
Macbook 26.5.2 Safari
It is the same reply box. When you hit Reply all it does is to move the reply textbox to the new position, and the wysiwyg javascript overlay follows.
Big improvement thanks on my samsung phone
Me too aj – I had to view it in landscape previously, now all good in portrait. I have a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
looks great
Can you make the front page images (posts not headlined) larger again? They look tiny on my macbook.
The non-breaking space issue is back and creates redundant empty/white space at the beginning, end, and within comments. This might be a bigger issue on small screens.
v1.0.17
It’s a work of art but beauty is in the twinkle of the creator’s eye.