Chapter 6. Implementing the Mobile-First Paradigm

Now that we have a useful first Express application, we must do what's the mantra of this age of software development: make it mobile-friendly from the outset. Mobile devices, be it smart phones, tablet computers, automobile dashboards, refrigerator doors, or bathroom mirrors, are taking over the world. In 30 or 40 years, we may be fighting a war with robots who want equal rights, if The Matrix movies have any predictive value. In the meantime, we have gizmos to build and software to write.

Overwhelmingly, that software needs to display on a mobile device. Thankfully, modern mobile devices have real web browsers that use modern technology such as HTML5 and CSS3, and they have fast JavaScript engines.

The primary considerations in designing for mobiles are the small screen sizes, the touch-oriented interaction, that there's no mouse, and the somewhat different user interface expectations. With the Notes application, our...