It doesn't output the pre-amble CSS (user CSS and links to the style sheets). I'm a bit reluctant to add so much extra data to a format meant for use on devices that might object (my phone already complains "too large" for some things). (Update) It also doesn't output some enclosing table(s). The former is probably (I haven't investigated, but you should feel free to) why the text color was not changed to a light color and the latter is probably why you can read the main node (because it avoids changing the background color to black).

style=bare has been supported for a long time and I've used it some for quite a while (it was just inconvenient). Now that I'm using it much more, I've already got several plans for it. I'd like each "bare" page to end (or begin) with just one link to a navigation menu. I'm thinking this link will take you to a list of nodelet titles and you click on the title of the nodelet you want to see. We might even eventually make this smart enough so that selecting the "approval nodelet" (for example) would make the nodelet act as if you are viewing it on the node that you clicked from.

I'd also like the "bare" style to display much less depth in threads (like text one reply deep and just titles two replies deep).

We also need an alternate format for Message Inbox that doesn't use a table (I also wanted it to not use a <form>, but the items that motivated that desire have disappeared so I may change my mind -- but I still somewhat like the idea of just listing a few messages, each with a link that takes you to a page for just that message that shows all of the details and that contains a link to "archive", a link to "delete", and a form to reply at the end).

It'd be cool if Recently Active Threads would default to showing only the root and the most recent reply per thread if style is "bare" (which is also the style I'd use most with it, even when not "bare") and if Newest Nodes would skip all but the top few "Newest Notes" (and it still needs to separate new notes between those in new threads and those in old threads).