To jQuery or Not to jQuery? Magical World of JavaScript

In 1995, Brendan Eich created JavaScript in a remarkably short timeframe. The language evolved from a simple website scripting tool into one of today's most influential programming languages, powering applications across all digital platforms.

JavaScript's explosive popularity led to numerous libraries and frameworks emerging. Major tech companies like Google and Facebook developed their own solutions—Angular and React respectively—creating an overwhelming landscape for developers to navigate.

The jQuery debate remains contentious among programmers. jQuery is essentially a library of pure JavaScript methods that simplifies web application development compared to native JavaScript syntax. It was particularly valuable for addressing browser compatibility issues that plagued earlier web development.

In the 2010 era, jQuery demonstrated significant advantages. Retrieving element dimensions required extensive conditional code in native JavaScript to ensure cross-browser compatibility. jQuery accomplished the same task with just two concise lines, making development substantially more efficient.

However, the landscape shifted dramatically. Modern browsers became standardized, eliminating jQuery's primary advantage. HTML5's emergence and its native APIs reduced the need for jQuery abstraction layers. Native JavaScript gained momentum through improved selector methods like document.querySelector(), matching jQuery's simplicity.

Class manipulation, attribute handling, and CSS modifications all became viable in native JavaScript with comparable syntax. While jQuery remains present in many projects, developers increasingly recognize that native JavaScript accomplishes virtually everything jQuery does without additional dependencies.