This would be great to have, at least as an option, since this is how a desktop
application typically does column dragging.

I'll take a look at your code later this week. In the mean time, I'm going to add you
as a contributor to this project...

cool, thank you
ah, I see you already were thinking of it: line 276

  // TODO: Reorder columns as the mouse moves for a more interactive feel.

(No comment was entered for this change.)

 // Move the floating column header with the mouse
here's what I've tried but it does this weird blinking thing where the columns switch 
too frequently 

 // TODO: Reorder columns as the mouse moves for a more interactive feel.
  dragMove: function(event) {
    var x, y;
    var dragObj = dragtable.dragObj;

    // Get cursor position with respect to the page.
    var pos = dragtable.eventPosition(event);

    var dx = dragObj.cursorStartX - pos.x;
    var dy = dragObj.cursorStartY - pos.y;
    if (!dragObj.addedNode && dx * dx + dy * dy > dragtable.dragRadius2) {
      dragObj.tableContainer.insertBefore(dragObj.elNode, dragObj.table);
      dragObj.addedNode = true;
    }

    // Move drag element by the same amount the cursor has moved.
    var style = dragObj.elNode.style;
    style.left = (dragObj.elStartLeft + pos.x - dragObj.cursorStartX) + "px";
    style.top  = (dragObj.elStartTop  + pos.y - dragObj.cursorStartY) + "px";
    dragtable.columnUpdate(event);
    if (dragtable.browser.isIE) {
      window.event.cancelBubble = true;
      window.event.returnValue = false;
    } else {
      event.preventDefault();
    }
  },

  // Stop capturing mousemove and mouseup events.
  // Determine which (if any) column we're over and shuffle the table.
  dragEnd: function(event) {
    if (dragtable.browser.isIE) {
      document.detachEvent("onmousemove", dragtable.dragMove);
      document.detachEvent("onmouseup", dragtable.dragEnd);
    } else {
      document.removeEventListener("mousemove", dragtable.dragMove, true);
      document.removeEventListener("mouseup", dragtable.dragEnd, true);
    }
    var dragObj = dragtable.dragObj;
    if (!dragObj.addedNode) {
      return;
    }
    dragObj.tableContainer.removeChild(dragObj.elNode);
    
  },
  
  
  columnUpdate: function(event) {
       // If the floating header wasn't added, the mouse didn't move far enough.
    var dragObj = dragtable.dragObj;
    if (!dragObj.addedNode) {
      return;
    }
    // Determine whether the drag ended over the table, and over which column.
    var pos = dragtable.eventPosition(event);
    var table_pos = dragtable.absolutePosition(dragObj.table);
    if (pos.y < table_pos.y ||
        pos.y > table_pos.y + dragObj.table.offsetHeight) {
      return;
    }
    var targetCol = dragtable.findColumn(dragObj.table, pos.x);
    if (targetCol != -1 ){//&& targetCol != dragObj.startCol) {
      dragtable.moveColumn(dragObj.table, dragObj.startCol, targetCol);
      if (dragObj.table.id && dragtable.cookiesEnabled() &&
                                        dragObj.table.className.search(/\bforget-
ordering\b/) == -1) {
        dragtable.rememberDrag(dragObj.table.id, dragObj.startCol, targetCol);
      }
    }
  },