jQuery – Could jQuery and Similar Tools Be Built into the Browser Install?

jqueryweb-browser

After reading another question about JQuery and CDN's, is it feasible for tools like JQuery to "come with" the browser, thus reducing/eliminating the need for the first download from a CDN, or from your own host server.

JQuery files specifically are pretty small, so you could easily have a number (all?) of the different versions as part of a browser install. Now fair enough, this would increase install footprint, download time for the browser itself.

Then sites could check "local" first, before CDN (which then caches), before finally defaulting to downloading from the website server itself.

If this is feasible, has it been done, and if not, why hasn't it be done?

Best Answer

There's no technological reason why they couldn't. However, it's not necessary and it's against the web's fundamental philosophy. It's not necessary, because you can achieve almost the same thing with a far future expires header. It's against the web's philosophy because it causes there to be a top-down, centralized authority on which libraries should/shouldn't be bundled with the browser.

Edit: JS libraries are there, primarily, to make dealing with the DOM easier. I don't think bundling third-party libraries with the browser is the right way to make the DOM API more pleasant.

Related Solutions

JavaScript Parsing – Comparing IE and Chrome Strictness

You were using an old version of jquery, as you admitted. The browser detection in that version was broken and so didn't define the global '$' jquery object. So when you tried to use it, it was not defined. You could put the non minified version of the js (the file without the 'min' part) and see where the $ is getting defined (or not getting defined).

Now getting onto Phil's answer, it's right but for the wrong reasons. He is saying you need to wait until dom ready by going $(document).ready. The only reason you need to do that is because you have your javascript in the head. Move it all to the bottom (which is better for speed, dom parsing). So you should have this as it will perform better.

<html>
<head>
<title>Test</title>
</head>
<body>
    <p>Test</p>

    <script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.10.1.min.js"></script>
    <script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-migrate-1.2.1.min.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript">
        // no need to wait for ready since we are AFTER the body
        $("body").css("background-color", "#405DA7");

</body>
</html>

Other problems could be that the jquery file itself was sent mangled via gzip incorrectly. Another issue IE 11 has. This would result in $ not defined.

This has nothing to do with $(document).ready

Best Answer

Related Solutions

JavaScript Parsing – Comparing IE and Chrome Strictness

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