Smigle Lite: 2024 Update

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Smigle Lite started as a small fork of the original Smigle theme to match how this site is written and read. The base theme’s stripped back look fit well, but a few features distracted from the writing and a few small gaps kept showing up in day to day use. This update collects what changed, why those choices were made, and where to find the current build. If you want the code, the latest release of the fork is always here: https://github.com/joe-mccarthy/smigle-lite/releases/latest.

What was removed

Read time and word count in post metadata.
Those numbers are easy to calculate, but they do not help the reader on this site. They nudge the author toward writing to a number rather than writing what the topic needs. Dropping them keeps the header quiet and reduces the urge to aim for a target length.

Site subtitle.
A tagline invites decoration. It also adds one more text element to maintain across layouts. Removing it keeps the page clean and avoids hunting for a line that tries to sum up everything in a sentence.

Profile picture in the header.
The aesthetic here leans toward plain text, generous spacing, and few images outside the post body. A headshot in the header pulled focus without adding information. It came out to keep the top of the page calm.

Bubble style tag and category pages.
The original tag and category views used rounded bubbles that felt busy. Smigle Lite replaces them with a plain list. A flat list makes scanning easier and it fits the late nineties web feel that Smigle hints at.

What was added

Footer credits for Smigle.
Forks should credit upstream clearly. The footer now states the theme’s origin so readers and other authors can find the source without digging.

Configurable content licence.
The licence notice in the footer is no longer hardcoded. You can hide it completely or point it at the licence that matches your site. This keeps the theme neutral and lets each user set their own policy.

Previous and next links on posts.
At the bottom of each article there are links to the previous and next posts. This helps with long reading sessions where a reader wants to keep moving without jumping back to an index. The links are simple text so they do not overpower the content.

Latest posts section with skip logic.
An optional block at the end of each article lists recent posts. It is configurable and can be turned off entirely. When enabled, you choose how many items to show. If the current post would appear in that list, Smigle Lite skips it and pulls in the next oldest post so you do not see a link to the page you are already on. That small detail makes the section feel intentional rather than automated.

Why these choices hold up

The fork aims for a reading first experience. Removing extra counters and decorative UI removes pressure to perform and cuts noise for the reader. Adding small navigational aids helps people who arrive on a single post move through related writing without guessing where to go next. The licence change keeps the theme flexible for different publishing needs while staying out of the way for sites that do not want a notice at all.

Nothing here is flashy, and that is the point. The style stays minimal, the HTML stays predictable, and the surface area stays easy to reason about during upgrades. It feels closer to a clean document than a web app, which suits the content and keeps maintenance low.

Where to get it

The fork lives on GitHub. Release notes and downloadable archives are published with each tag:

If you try the fork and spot something that gets in the way of reading or simple navigation, that feedback is more useful than any new feature request.

Thanks for reading.

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