A Little History…
Before Catalyst, the same development team’s signature WordPress theme was Frugal. As of writing today, Frugal is on version 3.6 (there will be further updates for a year I believe before it won’t be supported anymore in favour of Catalyst).
I started using Frugal at version 2.2. I was always on the lookout for themes that gave me a “blank canvas” to work with – so an immediate ‘minimalist’ design from which I could create bespoke designs. I used the Thesis theme for a few projects, which was okay.
As the Thesis theme developed to become more sophisticated, I felt it lost a lot of its usability. It became hard work to use. When I started using Frugal, I got this usability back, and then some…. As Frugal was developed, at one stage I felt like it was going to happen again. Fortunately, the development team listen well to their customers and I’ve stuck loyal to the theme all the way.
So What Now?
On 6th December 2010, Catalyst was launched and as someone who has used dozens of WordPress themes over about five years or so, I really appreciate the benefits I get from using this theme.
I like code, don’t get me wrong! But what I like more is building sites for myself and other people that actually achieve their goals. And that is no mean feat. It takes all your time and concentration to figure out how to do that, so the last thing I need is to be fiddling about with PHP code to get a tiny little design feature to work. Catalyst solves this problem.
So What’s The Point Of This Site?
To give people an idea of the power of the Catalyst theme, both with the site and videos, so people know what they’re getting. A damn super-fine Content Management System premium ass-kicking WordPress theme!