This is no longer true, to an extent. In fact, we’ve been toying around with some of the more renowned JavaScript library specimens for quite a while, and nearly a year ago added a tentative candidate to our upcoming next major version nick named “Crockery”. In these Web 2.0 ages, everything is in beta state, and apparently nothing aims to be reliable or feature complete.

But we do, at least for the parts we wouldn’t have to code ourselves. So choosing a library to improve this slim and flexible publishing system without introducing unnecessary bloat was not an easy decision. Everybody and their cat has a pet JavaScript library these days, and selecting a proper one has become a mixture of facts, gut feeling, and religion.

Anyhow, starting with the upcoming release 4.0.5, Textpattern will contain jQuery in its distribution package, and load it as its official “web two oh behaviour provider” for back end user experience goodness. Keeping in line with our mantra that the 4.0.x series is our “stable branch”, Textpattern will just provide jQuery as an “off the shelf” infrastructure component on which plugin authors can safely rely, but refrain from depending on it as part of the core’s functionality.

As far as our plans have materialized yet, Textpattern CMS 4.1 will extend the integration of jQuery by offering finer levels of integration as an administrative option and use jQuery for some decent AJAX (more of that when we get there).