Dear jQuery, Just Go Away Already

An open letter to someone that I used to know

Dear jQuery,

It's been quite a ride, hasn't it? You came into the world of web development and revolutionized it with your simplicity and elegance. You provided us, the developers, with an easy way to manipulate the DOM, handle events, create animations, and perform AJAX requests. You became our go-to library for a while there, and we enjoyed every moment of it because we needed you. But times have changed, jQuery, and it's time for you to face the harsh truth: you're no longer needed.

In the beginning, you were a breath of fresh air. You brought consistency to the chaotic world of JavaScript and made life easier for all of us. You became the darling of the web development community, and we couldn't imagine building websites without you. You were a godsend, and we praised you for it.

But as the years went by, the landscape of web development evolved. Browsers became more powerful, and native JavaScript APIs started to catch up. The need for a library like you, jQuery, began to diminish. Your once-unique abilities are now common features in modern browsers, and we can accomplish most tasks with plain JavaScript. In fact, I challenge you to name something you can do for me that I can't do for myself using modern JS.

The rise of the big JS frameworks pushed you further into the shadows. These frameworks have taken over the front-end development world, offering a more organized and efficient way of building web applications. They come with their own methods of handling DOM manipulation, events, and state management, making your offerings less relevant than ever before.

jQuery, you have to admit that you've become a bloated relic of the past. Sure, you still have your die-hard fans who cling to the nostalgia of the good old days. But for the rest of us, we have moved on to better and more efficient ways of building web applications.

Let's not forget about performance, jQuery. Your size and the overhead of using your library can slow down our applications. In an age where performance is king and users demand blazing-fast load times, we can't afford to carry the extra weight that you bring along. The native JavaScript APIs have improved significantly, offering better performance without the need for a bulky library.

The truth is, jQuery, it's 2023, and we have outgrown you. It's time for you to take your pension and pack for Florida.

It's not easy saying goodbye, but it's for the best. We'll always cherish the memories, jQuery, but it's time for us to move on to bigger and better things. Farewell, old friend. May you find solace in the annals of web development history.

Sincerely, The Web Development Community