jQuery is the only JS framework I want to use – I find the syntax really easy to remember, the code I write ends up clean and bug-free and visualjquery.com is an awesome way to browse the API :) However, every time I have to go back to Prototype for sortables, in turn meaning $(..) becomes $j(..) to avoid conflicts.. I’d rather not have to do this, but the “Interface” plugin’s sortables just don’t cut it.

Last night I was pondering the idea of porting the Prototype sortable to jQuery, and this AM was delighted to discover jQuery UI. However, it’s just not of good enough quality at the minute. One look at the demos on the site confirmed this, for example, the gallery one looks and feels rough around the edges. I downloaded it anyway and swapped out Prototype sortables for the jQuery UI ones, but the performance is so poor in comparison that it’s just not a realistic option at the minute – simple items (in this case styled li’s) move instantly with Prototype, whereas with jQuery UI there is a lot of jerkiness. I couldn’t find a way to constrain movement to one axis either.

So, disappointing all in all. However, I noticed on the jQuery blog that one of the developers is now employed full time to work on jQuery and jQuery UI by Liferay, so we should start seeing some big progress. It’d take a very impressive alternative to move me away from jQuery for all my Javascript work, although I concur with the posters above on the quality of the source code. Like I say, hopefully this will all be a thing of the past soon :)

one thing i dont like in the UI, though. Their tabs is not pretty

If I recall correctly, doesn’t ExtJs have an adapter for JQuery ?

What’s the point in reinventing the wheel ?

It seems QUI has some browser issues, where can I find a list of supported browsers?

While the UI stuff is very important and great to see, compatibility is the first consideration for my choice of a JS library. So I guess I’ll be sticking with Prototype/Script.aculo.us and YUI for graphical JavaScript

I write new reusable libraries on a daily basis for work/hobby, so understanding how various libraries function and aid my work is important to me.

Any UI grid/table component should employ the (very standard) table model, table view separation. This sortable table component resorts to “textExtraction()” function which has to sift through the DOM to find the value to be sorted. Uggh.

The table’s data model should not *be* the actual rendered UI. This is a big design flaw.

Nate Grover

It’s amazing how willing people are to say “I love Foo, but I hate Bar.” There are a number of great open source toolkits out there. Choice is a good thing. Use one, use some, use them all, complain to make things better, etc., but be part of the process. It’s open source for a reason!

What always surprises me is that people only seem to mention open source toolkits in their love/hate comments. Meaning, I rarely hear people say something like “wow, I get to choose from jQuery, Dojo, Prototype, Moo, Ext, etc.” instead of being stuck using Atlas, Backbase, Isomorphic, etc. This is the primary reason Dojo was started… to not be stuck with closed toolkits.

From the Dojo perspective, I have nothing negative to say about jQuery (UI), Ext, YUI, Prototype, etc., other than it’s a really great thing to see so many great open source options available, competing and yet working together at times, but all working towards the common goal of making it easier to build great web apps.

That said, I don’t have a problem with the commercial toolkits either as some of them offer really great features, and choice is good.

Most of us JUI developers are members of the jQuery community that wrote these UI elements in our free time. I wouldn’t be so quick to judge people who are giving the world something for free. Share with us your suggestions, it just might do some good!