On Feb 24, 10:36 am, John Resig <jere...@gmail.com> wrote: > If I had to guess and put percentages on the jQuery user base I would > say that they break down something like this: > - 95% of jQuery user's needs are perfectly met by current jQuery > code/plugins (19 out of 20 users) > - 4% of jQuery user's create complex interactions - would possibly > benefit from a widget architecture > - 1% of jQuery users have a need for both complex widgets and a means > of tying them to an existing data model > > I'd like to propose taking two steps (mostly on my end): > 1) Writing up a solid overview of how to make the best use of current > jQuery technology (for extensibility, encapsulation, etc.) > 2) Work on refining the widget code with the ultimate goal of having > it be ready for jQuery UI 1.8 - but releasing it separately so that > people can start to play around with it and see if it'll benefit their > plugins/writing style. > > Once we tackle those two points (#1 will help those in the 95% to > realize how to best use their current tools, #2 will help the demands > of the other 4%) we can safely start to look at some sort of data > abstraction code. My biggest concern with a data abstraction is that > it usually requires some sort of specific set up on the server to > benefit from it. Would everyone be able to benefit from this addition > regardless of server construction? (PHP users? .NET users? ColdFusion > users? Rails users? etc.) > > So while I will continue in this direction for now, I'd still love > more feedback: Cases of where complex applications worked well in > jQuery, examples where they did not. Knowing the exact set of use > cases that might exist would help us to quantify the amount of work > that we should put in and where. > > --John
I'm new here, but I think I may have some relevant feedback. To start with, I'll assume you are right in your breakdown of jQuery users' needs, but I would contend that since jQuery doesn't obviously offer any data model support, users who feel that they need it end up going elsewhere. That last 1% is a self fulfilling prophesy, not an indication of lack of demand. I've used jQuery for simple DOM manipulations and progressive enhancement tasks on a few websites, and I've been very happy with the results. But I've also prototyped a few larger projects that involve holding a data model in the browser, and I've quickly felt my code start to melt down. As a result, I've abandoned those prototypes and started to look at other tools that I could use to complete these larger jobs. (Please Lord, may I never have to start using GWT.) I'm sure that is largely my fault. Perhaps someone who has fully internalized the jQuery Way would have no problems where I have failed. I doubt though that my situation is unique. The split for me comes very cleanly between website development and web application development. I would strongly support Justin's proposal or anything else that helps bridge that gap for those of us who aren't... dare I say it... JavaScript rock stars. :) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "jQuery Development" group. To post to this group, send email to jquery-dev@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to jquery-dev+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jquery-dev?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
