Why Twitter Bootstrap Kicks Ass

Twitter Bootstrap has changed the way most of us code websites, allowing us to create a clean site very quickly. Here are some reasons why I think everyone should be using Bootstrap.

Consistant CSS Classes

Even if Bootstrap didn’t include any styles it’d still be a great addition to any since due to the consistency of their code. It allows you to easily switch the look of your whole site since every element is constantly named. They’ve thought of most elements you’d ever need from grids to buttons and modal windows to tabbed navigation.

If you’re familiar with Bootstrap and working on a new project that has been made with bootstrap you’ll be instantly familiar with the code structure. This helps with rapid development since developers won’t have to learn a new framework. Including specific nested tags for input fields and labels was brilliant since the standard html tags are hard to style. Small details like that makes Bootstrap for rapid and future-proof development.

Running Start Mobile Development

It’s a standard now for websites to work on a wide range of devices. If you’re using Bootstrap you’ll have a running start with this. If you build an entire site using Bootstrap you’ll most likely have few issues when scaling it down to mobile when completed. They took the guess work out of responsive design, making it easy to envision how a site should scale.

Looks to Kill

This one is mostly for newbies but Bootstrap gives a great framework of graphical elements. By including tons of clean assets, normalize.css and extras like a clearfix it gives you a great start in the graphic department. The great thing is that it gives you just a framework of elements so if you want to style everything yourself (which you most likely should) it’s easy to do. Plus people even make themes just for Bootstrap (via wrapbootstrap or BootstrapBay), great if you want to give flare to a vanilla Bootstrap site.

What are your thoughts on Bootstrap? Hate it, Love it, or just another Framework?