I’ve noticed an increasing amount of JavaScript tutorials (without the use of libraries) over the past few months ranging from simple, fundamental concepts to DOM Scripting and Ajax requests. This a good thing; I think too many people place far too much importance in JavaScript libraries. I don’t deny that such libraries are helpful, and there are many instances where it’s much easier and efficient to use an already written component than to write your own (jQuery UI’s DatePicker and *cough*XWebMenu*cough* comes to mind).

But at the end of the day, these libraries are still JavaScript, and anyone using them needs to have an understanding of the language. Case in point is a comment I ran across at one of the recent “plain-jane” JavaScript tutorials at NetTuts:

“I have just started working for another web development company, and the owner wants all of the code to be 100% ours - no third party, no matter what the license. So a weekend or two ago I am pulling my hair out trying to figure out AJAX request with my own JavaScript code. Yes, I could do it in JQuery, and easy, but company policy prohibited it. So now I am going to have to do all the the sweet JavaScript things JQuery and other JavaScript libraries do, but from scratch on my own - meaning building my own JavaScript framework/library. Thanks again!! This is perfect timing.”

Sadly, the replies to this comment encourage the user to jump ship for another company; one that allows the use of a third party library like jQuery. Libraries are nice to have, and they’re useful in many occasions. But don’t sell yourself short by being dependent on them.