Bootstrap Brouhaha
22 Feb 2024UI Frameworks Offer a Big Return on Investment
I have been using Bootstrap 5 for a little over two weeks now. My experience with it has been difficult, but enlightening. On the one hand, there is a bit of a learning curve. In many ways, learning how to use Bootstrap was similarly difficult to learning HTML and basic CSS. However, the framework also serves as a useful tool for creating web pages.
I found Bootstrap difficult to pick up initially. I did not know any of the features, or how to structure pages with containers and row-column grids. However, with lots of practice, I became more familiar with the framework and I came to appreciate what it offers. As someone who had made some (very) simple web pages in the past, I find myself most limited by my CSS abilities. Therefore, I often have the most trouble with the design aspect of web development. Though CSS gives us control over every element of a webpage down to the last pixel, it also puts a lot of responsibility on developers’ shoulders. However, I found that UI frameworks like Bootstrap help alleviate this demand while still giving developers the option to do the dirty work if they so choose.
Bootstrap is a Tool
In my opinion, Bootstrap is extremely useful because it helps developers work more efficiently. Like any tool, Bootstrap cannot fill the role of a developer. It does not replace the vision and skill that a developer brings to their work, but it can make one’s life much easier. Rather than painstakingly coding the layout of a page, one can leverage a framework such as Bootstrap to create a simple template and customize it as needed. This allows developers to spend less time in their stylesheets and more time implementing their ideas.
My Takeaways
Bootstrap is also useful for rapid prototyping. Though it is possible to draw mockups of a page layout, I prefer to see my design ideas on a screen. UI frameworks allow me to do this by making it quicker and easier to implement simple page layouts. I find this extremely useful because it helps me bring my ideas to life in a relatively short amount of time.
I also appreciate the flexibility that Bootstrap offers. As someone with limited experience in web development, Bootstrap enabled me to create clones of several different websites. This is something that I am unable to do with HTML and CSS alone – at least, not within the span of an hour or without the use of ChatGPT. In the past the difficulty of designing websites had been my biggest turn off toward web development, but Bootstrap and other UI frameworks help lighten the load. I look forward to spending more time with it and possibly creating a more complete website in the future.
Is Bootstrap Bogus?
Is Bootstrap really necessary? Countless websites are made without the use of the tool. However, this does not mean that it is useless. Here’s an example from my personal life. Both of these following websites were made by yours truly in the same amount of time (about thirty minutes). The surf-themed website was made with raw HTML and CSS. The clone of the Morning Brew Hawaii website was made with HTML, Boostrap, and some additional CSS. Though I may have been able to create a presentable website without the use of UI frameworks, it would certainly have taken much longer and with much more headache.
Raw HTML and CSS
HTML, CSS, and Bootsrap
