Pros and Cons about Front-end Frameworks

The future of web design is simply exciting and the futurology specialists state that sooner the concept of a website will be fundamentally changed. Google Glass and other similar projects seem to be the tools that will determine the way of making and using websites. The augmented reality is nearer than we might be thinking! More pragmatically speaking, the web designers trashed the exclusiveness of the desktop systems to access Internet and give a total freedom to everyone having a handheld device to enjoy the Internet benefits.

Nowadays, even if the market is saturated with web designers, some of them extremely good specialists while some just amateurs, the need of websites is perpetually rising. The Internet is still populated with poor online presences and it’s the duty of the web design community to create better websites.

On the other hand, making a good and complex website isn’t a simple task… not at all, it’s about talent, hard work and many hours spent in front of a computer. A part of the designers and developers noticed that the process of making websites may be fastened by using prototypes and patterns. The construction of a website is very similar to the construction of a car that is made up from various parts and these may be replaced over time.

In this way were created the front-end frameworks. By using such a tool, a part from the overall construction is almost “automated” and it’s saved a lot of time and resources. Fortunately, we have amazing frameworks that allow building stunning websites. Of course, we couldn’t have neglected this aspect and we already presented you some of them. Anyway, I guess that there is no web designer not to hear at least once in his lifetime about Twitter Bootstrap, Foundation, or HTML5 Boilerplate.

Each coin has a reverse side and the frameworks have also some major disadvantages.The designers are hotly debating about the pros and cons of front-end frameworks and we propose the same subject to our readers. If you aren’t too keen to frameworks, then it’s time to get your hands dirty with these. We showcased in the next lines our pros and cons about front-end frameworks and we strongly recommend to share with us your interesting thoughts. Our purpose was to present, as objective as possible, the pros and cons of frameworks without giving you a bold “yes” or “not”. As long as these are so widely used, it’s clear that these are useful, but at the same time, these have some limitations that may be overcame. Everything is up to your imagination!

Pros:

#1. Faster and easier to create websites

Making websites faster and easier is the primordial purpose of any front-end framework. By sure, a framework saves the designer to create some common UI items and he is able to fully focus on other more important aspects. I think that in its essence a framework helps the designers to create better websites and this is great. In fact the purpose of the designers is to create more enjoyable online presences that may be used by everyone everywhere.

#2. Widely tested and highly appreciated

The most famous front-end frameworks are developed by very important brands that don’t allow the luxury of releasing a bad web design tool. It’s true that each new version has some bugs, but it’s inevitable as long as these are so complex. The designers tested these and in the most cases, they were satisfied by the quality of them. In conclusion, the most frameworks are created to satisfy the most demanding clients and designers.

#3. The code is clean and correct

Code isn’t as “visible” as the design is and people have the tendency to neglect it. Altogether, code is very important and a poor one may have negative influences, even the designers neglect it. The frameworks took care by the coding part and in this way are avoided many potential mistakes.

#4. High support from the community

The front-end frameworks take the web designers by storm, but they quickly adapted to this new context. As a result, we don’t only have many websites built using these amazing tools, but also many interesting blogs and forums about. Definitely, using a framework shouldn’t be a complicated task. Firstly, the documentation that comes with these is very detailed and covers every aspect and secondly, the designers are very helpful people. There are many blogs where are presented best practices and tips about any frameworks and the forums may be used for particular solutions.

Cons:

#1. A limited array of possibilities

No matter how complex a framework is, it can’t offer unlimited solutions. Consequently, many websites are looking similar and it has only downsides. It’s obvious, the designers can’t be accused of copying, but it’s impossible for the websites built using a framework not to have common components.

#2. The lack of originality

The designers are merely willing to exhibit their skills but using a framework considerably limits the possibilities of impressing the clients with original ideas. Somehow, by using a framework, the role of a designer is to assemble components instead of creating ones and no doubt, this context kills any original approach.

#3. Learn a framework and not the code

Coding websites isn’t an easy task and a part of the designers hate and doesn’t care about it. Yeah, it’s Ok to fully focus only on designing the layouts and let other one to code it, but way more professional is to have some coding knowledge. The frameworks are liked by the designers because these take care of coding but there a double side sword. The designers don’t code and they learn how to use a framework; across time the respective framework will become outdated. It means that each time a new framework is achieved the users must read the documentation (usually, almost a complete book) and learn how to use it. Wouldn’t be better to learn code that won’t change too much across time?

Conclusion

Personally, I think that there is no positive or negative tool, everything depends on how is used. A knife is useful in coking a good meal, but unfortunately it may be used to kill someone. Is the knife a good or a bad tool? The same idea may be applied to a framework. I am very curious to know your opinion about frameworks, please use the comment form and share what you think with us!

– Written by Daniel –