Chapter 2. Understanding the Mobile Web
Isn’t the mobile web the same web as the desktop one? It does use the same basic architecture and many of the same technologies, though mobile device screens are smaller and bandwidth and processing resources are more constrained. There’s a lot more to it than that, though, with twists and turns that can trip up even the most experienced desktop web developer.
Myths of the Mobile Web
As the Web has moved onto mobile devices, developers have told themselves a lot of stories about what this means for their work. While some of those stories are true, others are misleading, confusing, or even dangerous.
It’s Not the Mobile Web; It’s Just the Web!
I’ve heard this said many times in the last few years, and it’s true. It’s really the same Web. Think about your life. You don’t have another email account just for your mobile. (OK, I know some guys that do, but I believe that’s not typical!)
You read about the last NBA game on your favorite site, like ESPN; you don’t have a desktop news source and a different mobile news source. You really don’t want another social network for your mobile; you want to use the same Facebook or Twitter account as the one you use on your desktop PC. It was painful enough creating your friends list on your desktop, you’ve already ignored too many people…you don’t want to have to do all that work again on your mobile.
For all of these purposes, the mobile web uses the same network protocols as the whole Internet: HTTP, HTTPS, ...
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