When I first started learning HTML and CSS two weeks ago through freeCodeCamp, like starting to learn anything new, it seemed complex and something out of my league. Trying to put what I have learned to the test, I put simple lines of code into an HTML file to display an image with a description, and it came out exactly how I expected: basic, empty, overall garbage website. I am sure that if I put in enough time into HTML and CSS, I could make a good enough website with those two alone. However, with a certain UI framework, I can cut my workload in half.
For ICS 314, one of our assignments was to watch three hours worth of videos on this thing called ‘Semantic UI.’ I have never heard of the thing, and after the first 30 minutes of watching, I still was not interested, nor was I paying attention through the whole thing. The next assignment was to implement Semantic UI into a website that we have created strictly with HTML and CSS for the class prior. Only then was I able to see the gains of learning the framework. In the handmade, from the ground up, website that we made, we had information in columns that we created through auxiliary classes with floats and padding. It took me a great deal of time to figure that out. However, by implementing Semantic UI, we could use classes/components like containers, grids, menus, to make the seemingly hellish ordeal from before look like a walk in the park.
Although it makes life so much easier, Semantic UI does have its downsides. When working strictly with HTML and CSS, you have so much freedom on your hands to create the page that you envision. With a framework, while the most of the work is done for you, it does impact your creativity a bit. Even though relying on a framework to make a clean website is nice, it seems to go a long way to learn HTML and CSS for more creative freedom.