Websites using JQuery Mobile

Okay, let s break down jQuery Mobile, focusing on the aspects you ve requested: overview, revenue, alternatives, pricing, and customer care.

1. Overview of jQuery Mobile

• What is it? jQuery Mobile was a touch-optimized HTML5 UI framework designed to build responsive websites and mobile applications that work across a wide range of devices (smartphones, tablets, desktops). It s essentially a collection of pre-built UI components (buttons, lists, navigation, etc.) and a framework for structure and handling interactions.

• Key Features:

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: Aims to provide a consistent user experience across various mobile operating systems and browsers.
  • Responsive Design: The layout adapts to different screen sizes and resolutions.
  • Touch-Friendly: Designed for touch interaction using gestures.
  • Themeable: Allows for easy customization of the look and feel using themes and CSS.
  • Simplified UI Development: Provides pre-built UI widgets, saving development time.

• How it Works: jQuery Mobile works by using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, and leverages the popular jQuery library for DOM manipulation and event handling. Developers create web pages with specific HTML attributes and structures, and jQuery Mobile s JavaScript and CSS files handle the rendering and behavior.

• Current Status: jQuery Mobile is considered deprecated and no longer actively maintained by the jQuery Foundation. While it s still usable, its lack of updates and support makes it less suitable for modern development. The last official release was version 1.4.5 in 2014.

2. Revenue

• No Direct Revenue: jQuery Mobile is not a commercial product and was open-source and free to use. The jQuery Foundation is a non-profit organization that relies on donations and sponsorships to support its projects. Therefore, jQuery Mobile itself did not generate revenue.

• Indirect Revenue: While jQuery Mobile didn t directly generate revenue, it may have had an indirect impact by:

  • Driving adoption of the jQuery library: As a prominent jQuery-based project, it may have encouraged developers to use the jQuery library, which also benefits the jQuery Foundation.
  • Demonstrating the capabilities of web technologies: It helped popularize the idea that web technologies could be used to create mobile experiences, leading to the growth of related industries.

3. Alternatives to jQuery Mobile

Given jQuery Mobile s deprecation, developers should look at modern alternatives:

• React: A powerful JavaScript library for building user interfaces. Popular for single-page applications and large projects with complex UI components.
• Angular: A comprehensive framework for building complex applications (including web and mobile) with a strong emphasis on structure and maintainability.
• Vue.js: A progressive framework that s easy to learn and integrate, ideal for building user interfaces and single-page applications.
• Ionic Framework: An open-source framework for building hybrid mobile apps using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) with native device features. Built on top of web technologies, so it is familiar to developers.
• Framework7: An open-source framework for creating native-looking mobile apps for both iOS and Android.
• Bootstrap: A widely used CSS framework that is very good at creating responsive web pages.
• Material UI / MUI: A React component library that implements Google s Material Design.

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an Alternative:

• Project Size and Complexity: For smaller projects, Vue or simple component libraries might suffice. For complex, enterprise-level apps, React, Angular or similar Frameworks might be more suitable.
• Learning Curve: Some frameworks have a steeper learning curve than others.
• Community Support and Documentation: Strong community and detailed documentation are crucial for finding help and resources.
• Performance: Consider the performance characteristics of the framework, especially for mobile devices.
• Desired User Experience: Choose a framework that aligns with the desired look and feel of your application.

4. Pricing

• Free and Open-Source: As mentioned before, jQuery Mobile is entirely free to use. The same is true for many of its alternatives such as React, Vue.js, Angular and Bootstrap, but some might have a commercial alternative for enterprises.

• Commercial Support and Services: Although the core library was free, some companies might offer commercial support, training, or consulting services related to jQuery Mobile in the past (before it was deprecated). This is unlikely to be available now due to the project s sunsetting. Alternatives like Ionic have commercial offerings.

5. Customer Care Details

• No Official Customer Care: Because jQuery Mobile is open-source, there is no official customer care or support team. The project was maintained by the jQuery Foundation.

• Community Support (Past and Limited Present): Developers historically relied on:

  • Online Forums and Communities: Stack Overflow, jQuery s forums (now largely inactive for jQuery Mobile), and other online communities were places to seek help with issues and bugs.
  • Documentation: The official jQuery Mobile documentation, although no longer updated, was a key resource.

• Key Considerations (Given Deprecation):

  • Very limited, if any, active support channels.
  • Bug fixes are unlikely to be released.
  • Modern technologies have made the framework largely obsolete.

Summary Table

| Feature | Description | |----------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Overview | Touch-optimized, cross-platform HTML5 UI framework, now deprecated and no longer maintained. | | Revenue | No direct revenue; free and open-source. | | Alternatives | React, Angular, Vue.js, Ionic, Framework7, Bootstrap, Material UI are modern alternatives | | Pricing | Free and open-source. | | Customer Care | No official support; past community-based help has diminished. Developers must use online communities for their support. | | Current Status | Deprecated, no longer recommended for new projects. |

Key Takeaway

While jQuery Mobile was a valuable tool for its time, it is not recommended for new development projects due to its lack of maintenance. Developers should transition to the active, modern alternatives mentioned above.