jQuery

Why did I leave it so long before I started using this library?

I have seen quite a few libraries in my time, from ActiveX to Zend and across multiple programming languages. In my experience I've preferred those libraries that are modular and highly conforming to object oriented disciplines.

This would lead you to believe that I would definitely not get on jQuery as it more inline with procedural coding, or more accurately, a sequential coding. But it works beautifully for JavaScript coder's needs and it didn't take me long at all before I dived in and started using it.

Okay. This is what I love about it:

It's easy to learn

Some clever clogs just cannot help creating libraries that use sophisticated techniques that may be elegant in their solution but are understood by few. In contrast, jQuery is one that is intuitive and easy to use.

Write less code

Essentially that's what all libraries should provide, otherwise you could write the stuff yourself. You can do some really cool stuff with just one line of code.

Reuse of standard notation

jQuery uses the CSS syntax notation standard as arguments in its functions. That is a great idea as it means there is less to learn.

Cross-browser compatibility

How many times I have had to rewrite huge swathes of code so that it works in bloody IE? This has got to be one of the most compelling reasons to use jQuery.