Desktop applications versus mobile web applications

In the previous topic, we mentioned mobile web applications. In order to enable you to develop mobile web applications, you need to understand the similarities and the differences between applications designed to run on browsers installed in desktops or laptops and applications designed to run on mobile devices, especially smartphones and tablets.

Let's start with the similarities. The most significant similarity is that both the desktop and mobile web applications use the same UI technologies, such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS styling to render content in the browser. This is an immense common denominator, which enables reutilization and cost reduction.

On the other hand, there are a few differences between these two categories of devices. A few of them, which we need to keep in mind from the web development perspective are as follows:

• Screen size: While desktops have plenty of real estate to show content, mobile devices have limited real...