Reputation: 5913
Has anyone used Foundation 4 or Bootstrap 3 beta? As you know, both are re-written to make it mobile first.
I'm very excited with the mobile first approach, but in real life, sometimes circumstances don't let us do what we believe is the right way.
So I just want to ask, has anyone used F4 or BS3 for non mobile first (or even non responsive) projects? I haven't really dived into the codes and the documentation is quite lacking.
What I mean is, is there some hidden caveats in F4/BS3 that if I use one of them for non mobile first/responsive projects, somehow it's not gonna work as smoothly as both frameworks are meant to be mobile first frameworks? Or do you recommend using Foundation 3.5 or Bootstrap 2.3 for non mobile first projects?
Thanks, hope I'm being clear enough.
Upvotes: 22
Views: 12526
Reputation: 1447
My below opinion is based on my extensive usage of Foundation in my projects & limited use of Bootstrap. When i saw the word 'Non-Mobile First' in your question, the immediate framework that came to my mind was Bootstrap. The major difference i have found in both these frameworks are
Foundation is a great framework for implementing Responsive grid systems..It gives great control on how you wish to show your page on Mobiles as well as Desktop. But at the same time i don’t find the UI Elements in Foundation to be very sleek enough as compared to Bootstrap.
Bootstrap has some awesome looking UI Elements, great Looks and do provide responsiveness grid but not that powerful as that of Foundation. But it has some great resources & additional plugins which can be very useful
So as per my opinion, if your project is not Mobile First then go with Bootstrap else Foundation is the best choice :)
P.S - The new Bootstrap 3 is mobile-first. So the line "When i saw the word 'Non-Mobile First' in your question, the immediate framework that came to my mind was Bootstrap" in my answer is no more valid. But the deduction is still same. If you want great level of control with grids you should go with Foundation. For UI/Plugins, Bootstrap is good choice :)
Upvotes: 8
Reputation: 7
You could always setup your template (in either framework) to use fixed widths. Then later if you need support for other devices, like tablets, it's easy to add some CSS to handle those sizes and orientations.
Upvotes: -1
Reputation: 111
I just finished putting together 3,200 words on which framework is better. The simple answer is: Foundation 4, and it's not all that close.
For the full article: http://abetteruserexperience.com/2013/08/twitter-bootstrap-3-vs-foundation-4-which-one-should-you-use/
The two frameworks have a lot in common, but there are some differences. The major benefits of Foundation 4 over Twitter Bootstrap 3 are:
To put it simply: Bootstrap feels like it's somebody's hobby, Foundation 4 feels like it's somebody's job.
Upvotes: 11
Reputation: 161
F4 and Bootstrap are both powerful responsive frameworks that do the job very well. Foundation has more responsive hooks than Bootstrap which can be particularly useful in responsive projects. The fact that F4 doesn't support IE8 (by design) will deter some from using it now. Bootstrap 3 continues support for IE8 as far I know with a mobile first approach like F4.
Upvotes: 5
Reputation: 299
My company has just recently switched to exclusive F4 use. We are not at all against Bootstrap, but here are the reasons we made our decision:
More semantic classes: this is of course a matter of opinion, but for us this can shave time off of a build.
A golden standard: You can hand F4 to just about anyone with html and css knowledge and you will see VERY similar markup for the same site from nearly all. This means it becomes much easier to contract out help if need be, and ensure quality design.
The UI: Yes Bootstrap wins this if you judge on it alone, but if you look at it as a whole really the UI of foundation is very close. Plus lets keep in mind that you can customize any of it with app.css
Zepto: I am a fan. What can I say. SEO is part of our world, and fast loads mean something, and even leaving SEO out....fast loads = less bounce.
SEO: Google has already come out and recommended responsive design for mobile SEO.
Why not?: What site can I not recreate with the framework. It is still CSS. It does force us to rethink how we code, but isn't that why we love to code in the first place? Figuring out solutions to simplify design?
Sorry for the novel. Just my take on it, and I know its not really 100% subject matter. In reality F4 vs Bootstrap 3 is really a moo point. If you are on-board with responsive you are making yourself marketable. If you are not then you are completely ignoring the direction that technology is heading and you should get out of the game.
Upvotes: 25