Hobbies is a Jekyll theme for developers who want a personal site that says more than "Hello World!" — it is distributed as a Ruby gem, uses a minimal aesthetic inspired by minima, and colors from hyper-snazzy.
What is Hobbies?
Hobbies is a free, open-source Jekyll theme created by HobbieJ. It takes a standard Jekyll installation — with posts and pages written in Markdown — and renders a static personal website with the theme's minimal design and hyper-snazzy color palette. The theme is currently labeled BETA by its author, so large design and aesthetic changes may still occur as the project evolves. It is installed as a Ruby gem and activated by setting theme: hobbies in your _config.yml.
Key Features
- Gem-based distribution — Install by adding
gem "hobbies"to your Jekyll site's Gemfile and runningbundle; alternatively, install it yourself withgem install hobbies. - Minimal aesthetic — The design is inspired by the minimal look of minima, Jekyll's default theme.
- Hyper-snazzy color scheme — Colors are drawn from hyper-snazzy, a widely used color theme for the Hyper terminal.
- Open source under MIT — The theme is free to use, modify, and distribute under the terms of the MIT License.
- BETA status — The author explicitly notes the theme is a BETA product, meaning design changes can happen at any time.
- Community contributions — Pull requests with suggestions and criticism are welcome; a CONTRIBUTING.md guide is provided.
Who is it for?
- Developers creating a personal site — They get a minimal, colorful Jekyll theme that goes beyond a default "Hello World" page.
- Existing Jekyll users — Anyone with a Jekyll site can adopt the theme by adding the gem and changing one configuration line.
- Open-source project maintainers — They can showcase a bit about themselves and their work with a distinctive look.
Use Cases
- Developer bloggers: Set up a personal blog on Jekyll with a minimal theme and start writing Markdown posts today.
- Portfolio curators: Present a short bio and links to projects with the hyper-snazzy palette for a unique, techy look.
- Jekyll tinkerers: Quickly try out a new theme with a different color scheme by swapping one gem.
How Does It Work?
Installation is straightforward: add gem "hobbies" to your Gemfile, add theme: hobbies to your _config.yml, then execute bundle. The theme is loaded as a Ruby gem and Jekyll applies its layouts and styles to your content automatically.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Free and open source under MIT.
- Easy installation via Gemfile.
- Inspired by the respected minima theme.
- Distinctive hyper-snazzy color palette.
Cons:
- BETA — design and aesthetics may change unexpectedly.
- Minimal documentation; only installation and contribution instructions are provided.
Pricing
The theme is free and open source under the MIT License.
Alternatives
- Minima — Jekyll's default theme, which Hobbies draws its minimal aesthetic from.
FAQ
Is Hobbies free?
Yes. Hobbies is open source and available under the MIT License, so you can use it for personal or commercial projects without cost.
How do I install Hobbies?
Add gem "hobbies" to your Jekyll site's Gemfile, add theme: hobbies to your _config.yml, and run bundle. Alternatively, you can run gem install hobbies directly.
Is Hobbies production-ready?
The author explicitly calls the theme a BETA product and warns that large design and aesthetic changes may occur. You can use it today, but expect possible updates.
What inspired Hobbies?
Hobbies takes its minimal aesthetic from minima and its color palette from the hyper-snazzy Hyper terminal theme.
