I have to develop a website compatible for mobile devices as well as desktop etc. Now i have two options from the search i have done. Either i make a separate application for mobile devices or i develop one for all(obviously with less glitter) and let the browsers manage how they render it.
Now my question is simple. What problems will i encounter if i make one site for all? or why should i make a separate site fore mobile. My target platforms are all the latest versions of Mac OS, Linux, Android, iOS etc.
EDIT : My site has a lot of visual effects like sliders and sidebar gadgets that involve lot of js and HTMl. Other than that it is supposed to be a CMS-based site like in WordPress or Drupal.
Any help will be appreciated.
Its depend on the site. if its simply information site with only text and some images then it will be better to develop single site for both the devices in responsive manner but in case the site has high multimedia content like video,flash,mp3 or high resolution images it will be better to create separate sites for both desktop and mobile as its hard to load multimedia content in mobile.
And Also mobile site should target only on main part of the site. Its should have only important part of the site.Mobile site should be short and sweet. Easy to use and easy to load.