

I Have No Idea What I'm Doing with Responsive Web Design - jarederondu
http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing-with-responsive-web-design

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eksith
"Responsive" is just a fancy word for "doesn't suck on mobile". Most people
just don't care how something looks like, even on mobile, if it doesn't just
break outright or doesn't shove that annoying "download our app" rubbish in
their faces.

No one really goes to a site for the layout and design (unless it's a game or
a layout and design site), they go to consume. If there's nothing to consume,
but have a lovely responsive layout, they go _oh, that's pretty_ and leave.

Regardless of how ugly something is, if there's an inherent use or appeal in
some way, people will flock to it en masse. Case in point: HN.

~~~
pixelcort
Isn't it technically more about using CSS3 and JS to adapt to the browser
width and/or capabilities, while the HTML otherwise remains the same or
similar?

In contrast to browser detection and/or loading a completely different HTML
representation, with or without a completely separate URL.

~~~
eksith
Yup. And those things aren't nearly as complicated as people make them out to
be. The more "things" you add to a layer, the more you need to tweak those
things and more the likelyhood of something breaking, not looking quite right
or just plain failing.

It's actually possible to have one stylesheet dictate the vast majority of
layout needs. Just a matter of people willing to sit down and take a patient
look at what it is they're actually trying to accomplish (vs, what they can
throw at the browser).

