Question

I have a mobile website using jquery. Now, i am planning to move to jquery mobile. Is it possible reference both jquery mobile and jquery in the same page?

If Jquery mobile can be used on desktop based web applications also then why do we use Jquery UI. Why don’t people always use Jquery Mobile so that they automatically get a view for Ios based devices also?

Answer 1

For the first question (assuming you meant your website uses jQuery UI, as jQM requires you to reference jQuery), it is possible to mix them, but some problems can arise with certain components. See this thread in the jquery forums for an idea of what to expect.

As to why should anyone use jQuery UI if jQM is available:

• First off, jQM is much more than just a UI, it is a framework
  designed for optimal use on mobile devices, so it will not only feature things
  like touch events and touch-friendly UI elements, but also page caching, AJAX-driven page navigation, etc. for better management of the resources available on a mobile device. A lot of this is pointless if it will only be used in a desktop browser.

• Second, jQuery UI has many widgets that are unavailable in jQM such as the datepicker, tooltips, and the excellent draggable/droppable/sortable framework. The widgets available can also make better use of the screen space available on a desktop browser, as a mouse is much more precise than a finger, so there is no need for buttons, lists, etc. to be as large as they are in jQM.