Apparently there are two ways you can do responsive web design. I'm not sure how to call the two methods but let's just say they are frontend and backend:
By frontend I mean, the usual way where the layout resizes as you resize your browser (e.g., Twitter bootstrap, Foundation, etc.).
By backend I mean, loading a mobile version or desktop version on the top level domain. This is similar to having
m.example.com
andexample.com
except your scripts loads the mobile or desktop version only atexample.com
(no need form.example.com
).
Personally, I find the frontend way a little to "hackish" and it involves a lot of thinking/testing to achieve desired result, it also makes file size larger per visitor. While the backend way appears straight forward and easier, less file size per visitor.
I am leaning towards the backend way. But, it seems the frontend way (Twitter Bootstrap, Foundation, etc) is all over the place. Is there any problem with the backend way because it appears to be a less popular choice?