# mdo/preboot

A collection of LESS mixins and variables for writing better CSS.

Repository: https://github.com/mdo/preboot
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/preboot
Homepage: http://getpreboot.com
Language: CSS
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2016-01-20T20:45:01+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5645, "days_push": 3878, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1664, forks 161 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:18.952989+00:00)

## What it is
Preboot is a collection of LESS mixins and variables for writing CSS, originally the precursor to Bootstrap. It provides lightweight, component-free utilities like color variables, vendor mixins, grid helpers, and utility mixins for LESS-based web projects.

## Use cases
- write better CSS with LESS mixins and variables
- jumpstart a web project without a full CSS framework
- get cross-browser vendor prefix mixins for LESS
- use a lightweight alternative to Bootstrap's variables and mixins
- set up a grid system and color scheme in LESS

## When to choose
- you use LESS and want lightweight mixins and variables without prebuilt components
- you want a minimal, interface-agnostic starting point for CSS
- you prefer assembling your own stack instead of a full framework like Bootstrap

## When to avoid
- you use Sass instead of LESS
- you need prebuilt UI components or a maintained framework
- you need actively maintained tooling - the project has not been updated since 2016

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: abandoned
- function: css-framework, ui-components
- domain: web-development, frontend, web-design
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: less, mixins, css-variables, preprocessor, bootstrap-precursor, web-server

## Member repositories
- mdo/preboot (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:18.952989+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:44:29.633847+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/mdo/preboot (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:18.952989+00:00, sha 212c1eecc762)
  - homepage: http://getpreboot.com (fetched 2026-08-29T11:16:40.157281+00:00, sha 3b613f5224a4)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.