Prototype and JQuery

[Gregg Bolinger]

JQuery's new release got Dugg today so I thought I'd take a quick peak. I have never really used it but it looks like it has some nice features that prototype doesn't. It also has quite a bit of mirrored features with prototype.

Of those that have used both libraries do you prefer one over the other? I realize you can use both, but I'm primarily talking about features that both libs share, which do you prefer? And/or features of one over the other do you prefer?

Thanks.

[Bear Bibeault]

jQuery is a lot less focused on OO JavaScript than Prototype. It operates by allowing you to "query" the DOM (hence its name) to form a wrapper object that contains a set of the matched elements. The query mechanism is quite sophisticated. Methods on that wrapper object operate on each element in the set and each operation returns the wrapped set as its result. Hence, operations can be chained.

This makes jQuery really powerful for performing a lot of work in single statement. I think it also has a lower barrier to entry than Prototype since you don't need any OO know-how to effectively use jQuery. (Though nothing prevents the use of OO JavaScript with jQuery).

jQuery also has a plugin architecture and a large assortment of official plugins that make it a bit more extensible than Prototype.

Many consider Prototype a dinosaur at this stage, but I still like both libraries. I use both, but these days, for various reasons, I'm mostly focused on jQuery.
[ July 02, 2007: Message edited by: Bear Bibeault ]

[Gregg Bolinger]

Thanks Bear. It does look really interesting to me. I also noticed they've began work on a D&D API for JQuery. Speaking of, how do the FX stack up against scriptaculous?

[Bear Bibeault]

That's a question I'll be able to answer better in about a week's time. I also know that they're going to do a major overhaul of the effects under-pinnings for a release later in the summer.

[Gregg Bolinger]

Originally posted by Bear Bibeault:
That's a question I'll be able to answer better in about a week's time. I also know that they're going to do a major overhaul of the effects under-pinnings for a release later in the summer.

Another one? According to the latest release it already underwent an entire re-write.

[Bear Bibeault]

Hmmm, it appears that they have rolled out the new effects engine with 1.1.3 instead of waiting for 1.2 as I had thought. Sweet.

The site is down due to being "dugg". (Is that going the be the new term for being "slash-dotted"?)

[Gregg Bolinger]

Originally posted by Bear Bibeault:
Hmmm, it appears that they have rolled out the new effects engine with 1.1.3 instead of waiting for 1.2 as I had thought. Sweet.

The site is down due to being "dugg". (Is that going the be the new term for being "slash-dotted"?)

Ha, yea. Dugg, I think so. Probably have to wait until late today or tomorrow for me to be able to look at the rest of the site and get a feel for it. Do you know off the top of your head what kind of FX they provide? And any quick syntax for it while the site is being "Dugg"?

[Bear Bibeault]

Well, the documentation for the previous version is still available at: http://visualjquery.com/1.1.1.html.

I'm not sure if the API has been modified or enhanced for 1.1.3 as I had thought that the new effects library was on the 1.2 roadmap.

[Bear Bibeault]

OK, I've just been given the "OK" to let the cat out of the bag and let you know that I've begun work on a jQuery book along with one of the jQuery contributors.

So I'll be digging pretty deep into this stuff as it comes along...

[Gregg Bolinger]

Originally posted by Bear Bibeault:
OK, I've just been given the "OK" to let the cat out of the bag and let you know that I've begun work on a jQuery book along with one of the jQuery contributors.

So I'll be digging pretty deep into this stuff as it comes along...

Well, since it's on the JQuery website, I'd hope they didn't expect to keep it a secret long.

[Bear Bibeault]

It is? Hmmm, someone may have released the feline early... no problem really though.

[Gregg Bolinger]

Originally posted by Bear Bibeault:
It is? Hmmm, someone may have released the feline early... no problem really though.

Yea, it's on the blog under jquery Books.

http://jquery.com/blog/