Big release of jQuery 1.4 today.  This version has alot of new stuff and tons of optimizations.  It should be a smooth upgrade for most people.

jQuery was a central part of my daily life for several years.  Recently, I have been doing more UX Design and have fallen off the web developer wagon.  I think jQuery has opened the door to millions of HTML/CSS developers to allow them to add interactivity to the mix without going back to school for a programming degree.  In some ways, I am nostalgic for the days when I was answering questions on the mailing list.  In other ways, I feel proud of helping the library get off the ground and introducing it to fellow travelers.

Each new job introduced a new technology for me to learn.  Intuit/jQuery, Marketo/ExtJS and now Adchemy/Flex-AIR.  It’s fun to try new things, but jQuery brought me more joy and WOW moments than any of these others.  For me, jQuery ranks right up there with the big technologies of the web:  HTML, Tables, CSS, jQuery.

The lesson of jQuery is simple:  Make it easy, make it fun, make it powerful.  Get inspired and do the hard work of making your dream a reality.  If you do, others will want to be a part of that.