JQuery: Journeys in Javascript and the DOM
Posted by Dan Eastwell
I've been fiddling around with JQuery this week as part of my work. I've found it a very useful tool. To my dissapointment, I wasn't able to make Jay Gooby's Sussex Geek Dinner talk on JQuery. I've heard it was well-delivered and explicatory. I hope the slides will go up online soon
What is JQuery?
Essentially, JQuery is a very small javascript file, that allows you to write other javascript files in a much simpler language. You include the jquey.js file in all your HTML projects
It's a library of functions written in javascript that create, in essence a new language, that make coding javascript easier.
You include the JQuery file in the head of your HTML doc, plus your .js files written in JQuery.
What it will do for you is end the need for you creating exception handling, code looping through the DOM looking for classes and has some inbuilt functions that you can abuse like so many first-time photoshop users with nifty filters.
My concern is that learning this without learning why you need it will lead to poorer front-end developers. Equally, even front-end devs should learn how the underlying machine works, to understand what function to choose to lessen the burden on client machines.
