[rthprog]

As much as I love jQuery, I feel it can quickly become a crutch, particularly for those who have spent a fair bit of time relying on features like .animate(). Modern browsers often have alternatives that (depending on the situation) simplify your code and offer significantly better performance. Similarly, I cringe whenever I see jQuery UI pop up in an interface - while it's easy to use, it also keeps some from developing UI features of their own.

There's a time and place for everything, and as a whole, I feel many are over-relying on jQuery.

[ashray]

You're right. But the fact that jQuery has a much simpler API than using just javascript makes it easier for programmers to use it. It's a library and that's what libraries are for, it takes care of notorious cross browser compatibility issues (how well is another question..)

jQuery UI similarly helps implement features such as autocomplete, etc. which while you could take the time to implement again offers a simpler API with cross browser tested code.

I don't think there's any argument against the fact that jQuery has definitely made a massive impact on the use of javascript on the web. There are plenty of programmers who wouldn't touch javascript with a 10 foot pole before jQuery due to the cross browser issues. I think that's actually been a good thing for UI for the most part.

Can it be done faster and better ? Yes.

Can it be done cheaper ? Probably no.