Seriously, if you use JavaScript for anything and haven’t been trying out jQuery you’re on crack. Now that it’s got its own AJAX library you should be able to stop using Prototype as a whole if you wanted to (and oh do I want to).

AJAX new FX and more!

The new AJAX plugin for jQuery is ready - and if you’re running off of the latest code, it’s already rolled in. Along with that, there are a few new effects to be enjoyed: fadeIn, fadeOut, and center.

Sure, Prototype is useful, and Script.aculo.us and moo.fx have nice effects. But what’s really rocking my work this week is jQuery. It’s awesome, really.

I had played with it a little bit to use the effects and such, but today started digging into it for some hot unobtrusive JS action and it’s damn fine stuff.

Web Development Trends for 2006 from Anil Dash has some interesting little bits for everyone to mull over when thinking about the coming year.

Curious about what technologies and techniques are going to be popular in the coming months and into the next year? Well, our crack team of editors here at dashes.com (that is to say, me) have assembled a list of up-and-coming trends that you should keep an eye on. Call it vocational education for people building Web 2.0.

• Best Practices: Implementing javascript for rich internet applications
• Best Practices for AJAX Development

I guess nothing good comes for “free” forever. Or at least, not until the next crack shows up.

REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. has kicked off a new program aimed at severely curtailing the ways people using pirated copies of its Windows operating system can get software updates.

When a computer user starts to download updates, the new program, called Windows Genuine Advantage, will scan the machine to see if it’s running an authentic version of Windows.

Whole story (from Yahoo! news).

Update: It took less than 24 hours for someone to crack this restriction, and (go figure) it’s a single line of JavaScript that disables it.

TrimPath has a bunch of interesting AJAXy-style goodness going on. Complete with (tada!) another variation of a GTDTiddlyWiki style all-in-browser GTD app and a project to clone Rails as a JavaScript framework.

Found via 43 Folders.