[sethammons]

jQuery: include this lib, modify DOM.

Modern JavaScript: traveling menagerie of package managers, compilers, build tools, etc. Now that is all in place, modify DOM.

At least, this is my impression from the outside. The last time I actually wrote js was around a decade or more ago.

[martin_a]

As someone who is not very familiar with JS in its multitude of variations this is what it feels like to me. Somebody told me to try Vue and while reusability of components is surely nice to have I feel kind of lost when all I need is a popup when a "save action" was successful.

What about jQuery? Is it still the go-to for simpler things?

[monoideism]

> What about jQuery? Is it still the go-to for simpler things?

Unless you need to target older browsers (like any IE, really), I'd just use vanilla JS. Vanilla JS means no packaging or build process needed. Just create write a JS file, reference it in a script tag in a basic `index.html`, start a web server (like `python3 -m http`) and you're good to go.

Spend a little time learning about flexbox and grid CSS APIs, and you don't even really need CSS framework if you're a decent designer (if not, use Bootstrap or some other CSS framework).

If you're targeting older browsers, like IE, then yes, it's probably a good idea to use jQuery and some CSS framework like Bootstrap.

Absolutely no need for Vue.js or React if you're just doing a very basic UI (however, note that basic UIs have a tendency to become more complex with time, so for that reason most JS devs start with something like Vue.js even if it's not needed initially).

(I'm a senior software developer working in frontend development exclusively for the past 5 years, but have been using JS since 1998, and jQuery since like 2008 - I left the software industry for a number of years after the dot.com bust and came back a decade later).

[monoideism]

I'm referring to vanilla JS and CSS. Literally just write a file and go. No packaging. You can even use modules on modern browsers.

A lot has changed in the decade you've been away from JS. Yes, there's a whole build infrastructure now for large-scale project, but bare, plain, vanilla JS and CSS have more or less built-in most of the features of jQuery and the old CSS grid frameworks.

[SparkyMcUnicorn]

The parent comment is referring to vanilla JS. Just write and serve .js files.

The tools you mentioned are common for frontend frameworks and such.