I have been happily using JQuery for the last 2 years and have been quite sucessful creating some really cool functionality with it...so I am very comfortable with it. I also beleive the future of the web will continue on the current client-side path.

However...

The next challenge seems to be coming in the form of various controller frameworks: KnockoutJS, BackboneJS, SproutCore, JavaScriptMVC (the list goes on).

Additonally, there are some great AMD Loader tools for use like RequireJS or LabJS etc. However, jQuery now has define and then capabilities baked-in.

It's getting harder-and-harder to keep track of it all...

And now, my task seems to be to evaluate/decide-on a strategic-direction for using some form of either an MVC or MVVM framework client-side...but I have so many questions.

• Where does JQuery fit-in with the various controller-frameworks mentioned above?
• Is JQuery used alongside each or do some of them have their own 'JQuery-styled version' baked-in?
• Are tools like RequireJS still needed if you implement one of the various controller-frameworks mentioned above?
• Does the define and then capabilities baked-into JQuery now supercede the AMD Loader mentioned above?
• Which one seems most modular? (see notes below)

NOTES:
One thing I don't want in any future-framework is the requirement of having to take-in vast amounts of functionality that I don't use. Meaning, I would rather use a framework that is truly modular. For example, to use jQuery UI you have to take-in a lot other core libraries that you might not actually use.

I will be experimenting with each one, but some REAL feedback would be great. I've seen some 'similar' questions, but none have really answered the above skew.

Thanks in advance!