To those saying devs who use Bootstrap are lazy, shut your smelly mouth
Having a different opinion about an issue isn’t a bad thing but there’s a thin line between having a different opinion and being just plain stupid.
I’ve read several publications where front-end web developers who use Bootstrap are criticized, and at the time I didn’t bother to know why nor did I bother to find out.
Now that I’m training to become a front-end web developer, I now understand the why behind their opinion and sincerely, it’s unfounded.
Frameworks/libraries, to my knowledge, were introduced to make building stuff faster and with ease, and they’ve been embraced by virtually everyone. Because who doesn’t want to build stuff at the speed of light?
Bootstrap is an example of a front-end web framework. It helps one build highly responsive websites/apps quickly. It is the most popular front-end web framework out there.
I’ll create a button — not just anyone though. I’ll do Google’s Search button — using HTML, then style it using CSS. Then I’ll use Bootstrap to create a button. This is to show you how Bootstrap makes life so effing easy.
i. HTML button
<button>Google Search</button>
ii. Styled with CSS
button {
background: #f8f8f8;
color: grey;
padding: 10px 20px 10px 20px;
border: none;
outline: none;
font-weight: 700;
}
button:hover {
color: #000;
border: 1px solid lightgrey;
box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px lightgrey;
}
iii) Bootstrap
<button class=”btn btn-primary”>Google Search</button>
The HTML button is pretty bland (you don’t want to leave it that way, do you?) but styling it using CSS brings it to life. I even added a hover effect to bring it close to what I wanted to achieve — replicating the Google Search button.
However, Bootstrap turns everything on its head with its simplicity and ease of use. With just a class — btn btn-primary — I was able to achieve so much. It came with a background color, padding, et al. I could also use CSS to style it the way I want but you understand what I’m getting at. Bootstrap lets you do so much with little effort!
Bootstrap was created by devs — Mark Otto and Jacob Thornton — with years of coding experience to make life easy for themselves and everyone else. It therefore makes me wonder why some proponents would condemn it and those who use it. It makes no sense to me at all!
The most annoying part is those devs who condemn Bootstrap and its users make use of ReactJS, Preact, Vue.js, AngularJS, et al. All these are JavaScript libraries for mainly building user interfaces. So, how are they any different from Bootstrap? And how does devs who use Bootstrap different from those who use the aforementioned JS frameworks/libraries? They all just want to quickly build stuff. Bootstrap critics are just pot calling kettle black 😏
I could have referenced the last article I read that’s making me write this but I don’t want to give the dude/bae unnecessary publicity. I just want him/her, and others like him/her, to shut their smelly mouth. Because having an opinion is welcomed but going as far as saying Bootstrap users, who are as hardworking as other devs, are lazy is just plain stupidity!
PS. If they’re so pissed off about Bootstrap, I want to throw them a challenge. From henceforth, they should cease using frameworks/libraries. Plus no text editors, just plain old notepad.
PPS. I’ve spoken to a few devs about Bootstrap and what I got from them makes sense. Use Bootstrap but make sure you know how to code up your own HTML/CSS/JS.
