Web Development with jQuery

Introduction

JQUERY HAS BECOME ESSENTIAL in the world of web development. jQuery's mission as a JavaScript library is simple: It strives to make the lives of web developers easier by making many tasks much easier. jQuery began as a library to patch cross-browser inconsistencies, to make developing in JavaScript easier, while it still provides a lot of cross-browser normalization. As browsers have advanced and filled in holes in compatibility, jQuery has become leaner, more efficient, and better at fulfilling the task of providing an API that makes developing JavaScript easier.

jQuery has the proven capability to reduce many lines of ordinary JavaScript to just a few lines, and, in many cases, just a single line of jQuery-enabled JavaScript. The trade-off is including the additional size and complexity of the jQuery library (and possibly additional related downloads) in the materials your users need to obtain to use your website or application. This is less of a trade-off today as more and more people have access to high-speed Internet. High-speed internet, although still pathetic in the United States when compared to some other nations, has inched up in overall speed. So, the additional download isn't all that much when you consider the big picture.

jQuery strives to remove barriers in JavaScript development by removing redundancy wherever possible. jQuery 1.9 and earlier focus more on normalizing cross-browser JavaScript development in key areas where browsers would otherwise ...