Re:Show HN: I made a modern web UI for Wikipedia
by dkonofalski on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @09:59PM
(#29480809)
That wasn't my point, though. My point is that the mobile version and the desktop version are explicitly different resources. They do not load the same page. Therefore, they should have separate URLs. The very first parent comment stated that sending the "m." URL should load the mobile version of the page regardless of the device being used and they're correct. The fact that people are redirected there from the main URL is the problem, not the fact that they're sending the link to the mobile version since that's the "correct" behavior according to URL standards.
As I've explained, even knowing their device is not sufficient, because someone on a desktop device may prefer the "mobile" design (which is responsive) or someone on a mobile device may prefer the desktop design (because it apparently contains more features). And if you're sharing the link with multiple people or publicly, you obviously can't accommodate mutually exclusive preferences.