Why does Reddit use a fast lightweight static site for desktop users, but a slow dynamic one for mobile users?

submitted by Candid_Parsley from (self.MeanwhileOnReddit)

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[–]Raavan 12 insightful - 3 fun12 insightful - 2 fun13 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

I'm no web developer, but it's still very easy to see why.

So they can push you to download their app. Saidit mobile website works fantastically well, so does the redreader client. There was absolutely no reason for redbit to make a shitty website it other than to push you to into downloading the shitty reddit app. Now if you ask why the app is so shitty - because they wanted it to look like Insta, snapchat et al so people can find familiarity.

Why do they want you to install the app you ask? Well, isn't it easy! Reddit has had a hard time selling ads. Their main source of income is selling user data. Today the best vector to get user data is getting mouth breathers to download your shitty app.

They have also made a stupid redesigned desktop website - horrible stuff. It's like those generic websites with a vertical bar of worthless content in the middle of your screen and the rest of your space is wasted. I think that's also there for familiarity. Easy to get Instagram users to join your website.

[–]Zednix 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

Who cares? That site is a leftist shithole

[–]Trajan 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Some time back it was the fashion to create mobile sites. To some extent it made sense with smartphones having lower resolution and smaller screens. These sites were, on the whole, shit. Reddit being a good example. I recall Slashdot’s attempt being similarly poor.

Even though smartphones have bigger screens, and operate like a mouse-operated computer, mobile sites remain cool. Fuck off, mobile sites. I don’t need a cut-down version of your site that forgets where I was after a long scroll down if I should go something designers couldn’t have anticipated, like click a link and then go back.

[–]filbs111 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Probably because their project development is a bit incompetent, and making a site fast, user friendly or bug free isn't judged to be as important as using the latest cool technology and trends. Places like reddit, youtube became popular a long time ago, and many of the people, workplace culture etc that made them great have left, with a resulting regression towards (and maybe beyond) the mean.