Mootools, Scriptaculous, Prototype, YUI or JQuery?

[eluser]Pascal Kriete[/eluser]
All of the current javascript libraries are excellent. If you think about how javascript used to be, it's grown immensely. That being said, they also support very similar features. Comparing jquery and prototype - you get method chaining, selectors, ajax functions, dom traversing and manipulation, event handling, etc. So what it comes down to, as JayTee correctly pointed out, is syntax.

Personally, I like descriptive function names. Jquery just feels too short for me. Also I like writing my own javascript singletons and functions, and where prototype returns a dom object most of the time, jquery returns a friggin jquery object. To me this is quite a pita and I don't really understand the logic behind it.

Jquery has a clear lead in both filesize and native animation. Which leads us to scriptaculous and jqueryUI. I'm sorry, but jqueryUI is bloody useless. It's far too restrictive to be of any real use to me. Scriptaculous is the exact opposite - it's useful. Mainly because prototype doesn't have effects, but also due to additions like the autocompleter and the dom builder. The latter of which I really miss in jquery, and I've grown quite a builder singleton of my own to make up for it.

Bottom-line: I see jquery as a dom manipulator, but for heavy lifting I find that I very quickly outgrow it.

Again, MY opinion since that's all that you can throw into this "holy war".