Today (08/24/11) for the first time ever the percentage of websites that have jQuery, the world’s most popular JavaScript Library, deployed has officially surpassed the percentage of websites that have Adobe Flash deployed. Statistics compiled by HTTP Archive (http://httparchive.org), which analyze the world’s top 17,000 websites, show that 48 percent of the sites use jQuery, while 47 percent use Flash.

jQuery is an open source library that makes it quicker and easier to build JavaScript Web pages and Web applications. Often with jQuery you can use a single line of code to achieve what would have taken 10-20 lines of regular JavaScript code.

JavaScript is a scripting language that allows Web developers to create dynamic pages that respond to user interaction. JavaScript is widely used in browsers, mobile browsers, PDF’s and Internet televisions. jQuery, built on top of JavaScript, can be used to create slide shows, drop-down menus, pop-ups, expandable/collapsible elements and similar animations.

Another major advantage jQuery has over flash is that it is universally compatible with everything. Regardless of what operating system, browser, or device you are using… jQuery works.