What are the arguments against using a JavaScript Framework for a Web site development company?

Question

Our company builds websites and web applications. We are a small firm and our team of developers are always building the javascript functions from scratch or copying from other websites built by us. Every time I bring to the table the word standardization and using a JS framework like JQuery, Prototype or any other, I am told Frameworks have the three points below as arguments against them:

• Mainly for people that don't know enough JS
• Frameworks limit Javascript developers
• Frameworks bloat the actual development code with a lot of things that are not used.
• We don't use enough Javascript in our applications for us to need JS framework

In my mind it seems that Frameworks, give our team a good starting point, documentation, a community and always the option to grow on top of the framework. Could some Framework users elaborate further?

EDIT 1:

Thanks to all of you for your great responses. I really did not think that this was going to be such a hot topic. I am glad I asked the question. I posted another similar question in the following link in case you might think you want to add something. The topic of the new question is CSS related. Thanks.

Answer 1

Arguments against:

• Frameworks prevent you from re-inventing the wheel
• Frameworks generally contain well tested code
• Frameworks are well supported by the community
• Frameworks force you to focus on the business problem you're trying to solve

</sarcasm>

• Frameworks may have a license you don't agree/can't work with

Answer 2

By your coworkers point of view, .NET and JAVA are for people who don't know enough assembly.

Frameworks exist for a reason. They allow you go focus on the problem instead of dealing with repetitive code. They allow you to be confident (assuming you use well tested frameworks) that certain pieces of your code are reliable and well tested.

If your coworkers are against frameworks, I would seriously consider moving on.

Answer 3

I liked the answer of pb +

Mainly for people that don't know enough JS

I believe it is too complicated for them, so they use this excuse. FW allows you to build much more complex applications.

Frameworks limit Javascript developers

bullshit

Frameworks bloat the actual development code with a lot of things that are not used.

what is it today extra 100k-200k? especially if you use the CDN versions (at google for instance). And this is assuming you use nothing in the FW.

Answer 4

A few positives for javascript frameworks (like JQuery).

1. They provide standardization in ui elements.
2. Reduce time to develop complex interfaces and effects.
3. Normalize efforts by providing functions that are already cross-browser compatible.
4. Due to efforts in cross compatibility documentation is more useful in a framework as you can use the framework's api as canon instead of searching for obscure support for various/proprietary javascript functions.
5. Reduced learning curve for new developers making them productive on your software quicker.

I completely disagree that a framework limits javascript developers. Quite the opposite actually. Most frameworks provide extensive plug-in mechanisms where the framework can be extended using raw javascript utilizing hooks in the framework itself.

Answer 5

An argument against libraries is BROWSER SUPPORT most libraries support only a subset of browsers out there . Here is an example of BBC rolling out their own instead of using something like jquery .

Answer 6

Since no one has mentioned it - a Javascript framework rapidly becomes one more project dependancy, and in general terms, dependencies are bad as they represent points of failure.

As for this:

• Mainly for people that don't know enough JS

Without elaborating, I will say that if one of our team said something like that in my presence, I would try to shrug it off as a joke. If I thought they were being serious, I would probably have to kill them.

And as for this:

• Frameworks limit Javascript developers

That could translate to "Frameworks make it marginally harder to write spaghetti code, and that's what I do best"

Those are not arguments, they are excuses.

Answer 7

There are plenty of good reasons to be suspicious of frameworks in general, balanced of course by lots of reasons why they are worthwhile.

I use jquery now, and frankly within an hour of learning it realised that it fits the job so well that if it didn't exist I'd only end up reimplementing something very similar myself, only it wouldn't be as good or as cross platform.

There isn't much bloat there, it's very small and well designed and does nothing at all that stops you writing any javascript you want for specific cases that don't fit your needs.