在学习Javascript时，软件开发人员使用jQuery是否有意义？

Question

It's often claimed that learning a lower-level language is a good foundation for any new developer. What about an experienced developer (say a C++ or Java guy) learning Javascript? in the same way should he learn using the raw language so he understands what's going on, and learn JQuery later, or use JQuery from the start as 'part of' Javascript?

Answer 1

I think it's worth spending a bit of time working on JavaScript without jQuery so you can appreciate just what jQuery brings you. But most of what you'll be learning in JavaScript ( getElementById etc.) will be replaced by better jQuery functions, so don't spend too long in pure JavaScript.

I guess the important thing to realise is that a lot of what you do in JavaScript is actually just working with the DOM API. The JavaScript language is great, but the DOM API is RUBBISH. jQuery doesn't really abstract the language, just the API. So the distinction isn't between using JavaScript or using jQuery, it's more about using the DOM API vs using jQuery.

Answer 2

It's always good to understand the basics of 'raw' JavaScript. I would recommend learning basic JacvaScript first, then jQuery. It'll make jQuery easier once you know the basics of the language, and there are still quite a few scenarios where it's preferable to do parts of a code in regular JavaScript than the jQuery way.

You could still try to learn about both in parallel, but either way it is still important to understand JavaScript to really understand appreciate jQuery.

Answer 3

I am pretty new to JavaScript myself, and I had a few months to learn raw JavaScript before finding out about jQuery. I agree with GSto that learning raw is good, but don't spend to much time in it before looking at a framework.

Apart from that, I strongly recommend anyone building in Javascript to pick up a copy of Douglas Crockford's JavaScript: The Good Parts. Read it back to back and then keep it close to your computer!

JavaScript differs from C-like languages quite dramatically at some points...

EDIT: Crockford held a great talk at Øredev 2009. They have the whole talk in video on their site .

Answer 4

Learn Javascript first and about DOM, object literals, closures and currying . When you master these things you are ready to use a library.

Answer 5

If you want to be a good web-developer who knows javascript, then do not touch jquery for at least year. It will corrupt you. Seriously, I've seen too many people who claim that they know javascript but are unable to iterate through an array without using jquery.

Answer 6

I think you should learn raw language before jquery or another framework. If you do, cou can learn jQuery basis wery quickly.

Answer 7

I learned JavaScript before I did anything with jQuery and I would recommend the same to any one thinking to learn JavaScript, as this would allow you to move to another library or use raw JavaScript if you found that jQuery wasn't really suited to what you need or if you simply didn't like jQuery.

There may be some cases in which using raw JavaScript is better suited to what you want to do.

Answer 8

It's very important to learn the language itself, and somewhat important to become familiar with the issues faced by things like jQuery in making the programming environment more uniform across different browsers. However, except as exercises for people who have the time, attempting to re-implement the facilities that modern frameworks provide is a pretty bad idea.

A benefit of learning a modern framework is that they generally encourage the exploitation of the native power of Javascript, and avoid trying to make the language look and act like something it isn't. You have to develop a good feeling for what anonymous functions are and how they work, for example, in order to really use Prototype or jQuery or just about any other framework effectively.

Finally, reading the source code of a good modern framework is wonderfully enlightening.

Answer 9

Think of JQuery as being an abstraction that just happens to be built using Javascript.

Most things that you need to do can be done elegantly with JQuery.

To use JQuery effectively it is more important to understand the DOM, Events and CSS.

It helps me to think of JQuery and Javascript as being different paradigms even though we all know that JQuery is written in JS.

I came to Javascript from a C/C++ background and it took me a while to really get to grips with the object model first-class functions, inner functions and closures and prototypes.

JQuery is much clearer, easier to follow, and more powerful once you understand what it is that you are manipulation (ie DOM, Events, CSS).

So I'd learn JQuery first and fill in the Javascript gaps as they appear.

Answer 10

Don't forget that document.getElementById is still the fastest way of getting elements. So if you do simple stuff and that's sufficient so why use a library?

Answer 11

Read what Joel Spolsky says about abstractions. What happens when your abstraction layer leaks ? Do you know why the problem happened, or what you can do to fix it?

Answer 12

我会先开始学习javascript语法和用法，但不要过多关注不同的函数，因为很多函数会有更好的jQuery替代品。

Answer 13

The answer - both.

If you are working on something professionally and have a deadline... JQuery. Then go home and learn the internals. JQuery is very powerful and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes the best code you write... is no code at all.

Now that being said, its always a good idea to understand your code and the "black majic" that happens under the hood. This helps to decide which JQuery method or selector to use for the best job... measure the pros vs cons.

Answer 14

You should do both at the same time. Learn javascript loops, types, prototypes and just forget the DOM methods because jQuery is more elegant for that.

Answer 15

You should learn basic js first, variables, loops, functions, closures, inheritance, and js design patterns. If you're already a programmer, you can skip a lot of stuff. jQuery is not a language. Once you know that, then jquery is a tool, that mostly helps you abstract differences between browsers (and provides another dialect of js). I don't use jquery, I use ext-js (another tool, another dialect), so I would caution strongly against learning jquery as if it were a language.

Answer 16

If you're going to work with the DOM (as admittedly most do, since most Javascript is used for client-side web development), then JQuery will be helpful.
However, don't confuse it with the language Javascript - JQuery is just another library for DOM access, albeit a very ubiquitous and imho great one. I'd say it's somewhat analogous to asking if it's wrong to use Win32 or some other platform API while learning C++.

Answer 17

jQuery is just one of several libraries out there. What are you going to do if you don't use jQuery or the company you work for doesn't? Using this library does carry some weight, too. Are you going to always use it even if you only needed one minor feature?