Pros of Poole

• More customizable and flexible, offering a foundation for building Jekyll themes
• Includes two pre-built themes (Hyde and Lanyon) for quick setup
• Provides a more comprehensive starting point for Jekyll projects

Cons of Poole

• Requires more setup and configuration compared to Cayman
• Less frequently updated, with the last commit being older than Cayman's
• May have a steeper learning curve for beginners

Code Comparison

Poole (_config.yml):

permalink:        pretty
relative_permalinks: true

title:            Poole
tagline:          'The Jekyll Butler'
description:      'Base theme for Jekyll themes by @mdo.'
url:              http://getpoole.com

Cayman (_config.yml):

title: Cayman theme
description: Cayman is a clean, responsive theme for GitHub Pages.
show_downloads: true
google_analytics:
theme: jekyll-theme-cayman

Poole offers more configuration options out of the box, while Cayman provides a simpler setup focused on essential elements. Poole's configuration includes additional features like permalinks and taglines, whereas Cayman's configuration is more streamlined and tailored for GitHub Pages.

Pros of Minimal Mistakes

• More feature-rich and customizable theme with extensive documentation
• Supports multiple authors, layouts, and skins out of the box
• Includes built-in SEO optimization and social sharing features

Cons of Minimal Mistakes

• Steeper learning curve due to more complex structure and options
• Requires more setup and configuration compared to simpler themes
• May be overkill for basic websites or blogs

Code Comparison

Minimal Mistakes (_config.yml):

minimal_mistakes_skin: "default"
locale: "en-US"
title: "My Website"
subtitle: "A custom subtitle"
name: "Your Name"
description: "An amazing website."

Cayman (_config.yml):

title: My Project
description: This is a great project
show_downloads: true
google_analytics: UA-XXXXXXXX-X
theme: jekyll-theme-cayman

Minimal Mistakes offers more configuration options and customization in its default _config.yml file, while Cayman provides a simpler setup with fewer options. This reflects the overall difference in complexity and flexibility between the two themes.

Pros of jekyll-now

• Easier setup for beginners with a more comprehensive starter template
• Includes pre-configured social media integration and commenting system
• Provides a more complete blog structure out-of-the-box

Cons of jekyll-now

• Less flexible for customization compared to Cayman's minimalist approach
• May require more cleanup for users who want a simpler site structure
• Less frequently updated, potentially leading to outdated dependencies

Code Comparison

jekyll-now:

name: Your Name
description: Web Developer from Somewhere
avatar: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/barryclark/jekyll-now/master/images/jekyll-logo.png
footer-links:
  dribbble:
  email:
  facebook:
  flickr:

Cayman:

title: Cayman theme
description: Cayman is a clean, responsive theme for GitHub Pages.
show_downloads: true
google_analytics:
theme: jekyll-theme-cayman

The jekyll-now configuration includes more pre-defined options for social media and site customization, while Cayman's configuration is more streamlined and focused on essential theme settings. jekyll-now provides a more comprehensive starting point for bloggers, whereas Cayman offers a cleaner slate for developers who prefer to build from a minimal base.

Pros of Beautiful Jekyll

• More feature-rich with built-in support for comments, analytics, and social sharing
• Highly customizable with numerous configuration options
• Includes ready-to-use layouts for various page types (e.g., blog posts, projects)

Cons of Beautiful Jekyll

• Steeper learning curve due to more complex structure and configuration
• Requires more setup time compared to Cayman's simplicity
• May be overkill for simple, single-page websites

Code Comparison

Beautiful Jekyll configuration example:

title: My Website
author: John Doe
navbar-links:
  About Me: "aboutme"
  Resources:
    - Beautiful Jekyll: "https://beautifuljekyll.com"
    - Learn markdown: "https://www.markdowntutorial.com/"

Cayman configuration example:

title: My Website
description: A simple website using Cayman theme
show_downloads: true
google_analytics: UA-XXXXXXXX-X

Beautiful Jekyll offers more extensive configuration options, while Cayman keeps it simple with fewer, essential settings. Beautiful Jekyll is better suited for complex websites with multiple pages and features, whereas Cayman is ideal for straightforward, single-page sites or project documentation.

Pros of Minima

• More customizable with multiple layouts and includes
• Supports blog functionality out of the box
• Includes social media integration and RSS feed support

Cons of Minima

• Slightly more complex setup and configuration
• May require more CSS customization for unique designs
• Larger file size due to additional features

Code Comparison

Minima (default layout):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="{{ page.lang | default: site.lang | default: "en" }}">
  {%- include head.html -%}
  <body>
    {%- include header.html -%}
    <main class="page-content" aria-label="Content">
      <div class="wrapper">
        {{ content }}
      </div>
    </main>
    {%- include footer.html -%}
  </body>
</html>

Cayman (default layout):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="{{ site.lang | default: "en-US" }}">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
    {% seo %}
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ "/assets/css/style.css?v=" | append: site.github.build_revision | relative_url }}">
  </head>
  <body>
    <div class="container-lg px-3 my-5 markdown-body">
      {{ content }}
    </div>
  </body>
</html>

Pros of academicpages

• Specifically designed for academic personal websites
• Includes templates for publications, talks, and teaching
• More comprehensive and feature-rich for academic purposes

Cons of academicpages

• More complex setup and customization process
• Potentially overwhelming for users seeking a simple theme
• Less frequently updated compared to Cayman

Code Comparison

academicpages:

# Site Settings
locale: "en-US"
title: "Your Name / Site Title"
title_separator: "-"
name: "Your Name"
description: "personal description"
url: # the base hostname & protocol for your site e.g. "https://mmistakes.github.io"
baseurl: "" # the subpath of your site, e.g. "/blog"

Cayman:

title: Cayman theme
description: Cayman is a clean, responsive theme for GitHub Pages.
show_downloads: true
google_analytics:
theme: jekyll-theme-cayman

The academicpages configuration offers more detailed settings for an academic website, while Cayman's configuration is simpler and more general-purpose.