Mootools, Scriptaculous, Prototype, YUI or JQuery?

[eluser]maadmac[/eluser]
[quote author="inparo" date="1203186781"]Jquery just feels too short for me.[/quote]

Can you elaborate on this? I'm curious.

If by "too short" you mean, "too few lines of code" -- something at which jQuery excels -- then I'm afraid I cannot sympathize.

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.

So write your singleton and your functions -- jQuery doesn't prevent your from using classic DOM scripting. Often my scripts these days are 80% DOM / 20% jQuery. If you don't want the jQuery object returned, you don't have to select with it, you know -- you can just use getElementById.

I'm sorry, but jqueryUI is bloody useless.

Yep, this is well-documented and acknowledged. It's the first and extremely buggy attempt to standardize an effects library for the framework; we are promised the next version should include a major overhaul (documentation is awful, as well). Fortunately the jQuery team is extremely active in the forum and can usually answer any questions one has...

If you need a stable out-of-the-box effects engine, you're better off with script.aculo.us, jQuery cannot compete at all. But honestly, it's so easy to use, you can write whatever you need anyway.

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

I agree that it is unsurpassed as a DOM manipulator, but what do you mean by heavy lifting?

Take a look at some of the major jQuery partners; it's a pretty impressive list:

jQuery Partners