
This wonderful collection of tightly knitted JavaScript code has in all fairness revolutionised some sites into an almost desktop type approach. Never being a keen lover of the laborious processes that JavaScript takes you on and the countless reading of code only to relies you missed your terminator (;) or the seemingly illogical approach to constructing stimulating interaction that is cross browser compatible can lead most web designers biting what little is left on their finger nails while sipping on the 100th coffee of the day.
Thankfully JQuery really does make the processes of the above mentioned so much more enjoyable. As someone who writes in HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP and AS I have always avoided JavaScript like the plague (even though I can write in the language) Cross browser problems tied in with constant code checking is just too much like an avoidable headache. I have actually lost count of the amount of people who don’t use JavaScript and opt for seeking an answer in PHP or AS.
Hopefully as one of those designers who has avoided the dreaded interaction of JavaScript I can persuade you to think again. Jquery although not new has come of age, with the ever slow decrease of IE 6 (and far out cases IE5.5) and the new implementations in modern browsers, we may finally see a day where a designer can be confident that his/her design is not only cross browser but will not die ungracefully when JavaScript is not present.
There are of course other very useful JavaScript libraries out there; however JQuery seems to be the front runner by a long way
For more information on JQuery visit the main site here