jQuery Team, Plug-in Developers, and Users:
We recently discussed this, and nothing much came of the discussion, but now that jQuery 1.2 has been released, the problem is more clearly evident than ever, it seems to me. There has got to be a better way to handle new releases of jQuery and determine which plug-ins are still or are no longer partially or completely compatible with the new jQuery verison. I've noticed that most of the discussion on the list recently seems to revolve around topics stating that a particular plug-in is having problems with the new jQ version and does anyone know how to get this working? Too much time and energy has to go into determining what plug-ins or even part of plug-ins still or no longer work with the current version of jQuery. The approach now is simply "trial-and-error" on the part of users and if something breaks, try to find someone who has had a similar problem and ask how they solved it. We've got versions of jQuery and plug-ins all over the map and the only way to determine what works together is to try it and see if it breaks. Then the hunt begins for a solution. If none is found, the user must go back to an earlier version of jQuery that does work, and forget about using new jQuery features in the current version until all necessary plug-ins and dependencies on a particular site are brought up-to-date. This is not a satisfactory way of proceeding. I believe we should have the following setup for updating jQuery and plug-ins: First of all, we should have a list of various jQuery versions available: - previously stable, released versions of jQuery - the current stable release of jQuery - the "under-development", next release of jQuery for those who want to test Secondly, a list of plug-ins that are officially recognized by the jQuery team: - plug-ins that have been placed on an official list by the jQuery team as having met certain conditions to be declared "official": o Plug-in developer has tested plug-in with one or more versions of jQuery and deemed it to be stable and versions are listed with plug-in description o All dependencies of this official plug-in are listed and are tested and declared compatible with various version of jQuery o If problems come up with an official plug-in, then the plug-in is simply pulled off the official list, or at least a warning is posted, until the issue(s) are resolved - a setup such as this would by no means require developers of "official" plug-ins to have to keep their plug-ins compatible with new jQuery versions, users just have to know that they're not compatible - there would also be a list of "unofficial" plugins. those plug-ins that are available, but have not gone through the trials and testing by the developer to meet the standards for an "official" plug-in A jQuery/Plug-In setup such as this would allow a potential jQuery or plug-in user to go to a page, select a jQuery version and display all "official" (see above) plug-ins available, as well as previously official plug-ins which have not yet met current "official" standards for the latest jQuery version. All official plug-ins would be required to list all dependencies and state whether or not the plug-ins are working with their dependent plug-ins. The same setup would work by allowing a user to select a plug-in and have the system return compatibility information for all jQuery versions, including version numbers, and compatibility information for all dependent plug-ins, including version numbers. Part of this system could be a wiki site where users could provide anecdotal evidence and experiences of jQuery and plug-in usage and code examples. I'll stop here. I'm sure there's more that could be added. Perhaps this has already been done in whole or in part. But as the popularity of jQuery increases, the number of new users increases, and therefore, the number of users who aren't experienced enough with the day-to-day information concerning jQuery and plug-ins to know "off the top of their head" what works and what doesn't. I'll be glad to volunteer to design, code, host, and create the site and database needed. I'm not experienced enough with jQuery to provide all the info to put into the system. I could create a login for jQuery team members and plug-in developers so they could maintain their information in the system. This would be the best and most accurate way to keep accuracy in the data, anyway. I have enjoyed my limited experience with jQuery and find it very user-friendly, especially since I have no background in Javascript. As ColdFusion has made web-app development available to me with no app development background, so has jQuery made Javascript development available to me with no Javascript background. But as the jQuery landscape grows more complicated and dense with growth, it's becoming harder and harder to navigate the jQuery terrain. For those of us who want to "pop-in" and find some functionality, and then re-visit jQuery land in a few month's time, a system like this is necessary. Otherwise, we spend too much time wandering around lost and seeking information, when we need to be productive. Just some thoughts on the present situation. Other thoughts, anyone? Thanks, Rick
