I first browsed the web in ’94
Back then browsers were very different. The web was a much smaller place. Google didn’t exist.
Eleven years later the web is an important part of people’s lives. You bank online, buy your books online, read the news online and maybe even find love online.
The technologies behind it all have moved on. Content has become more complex and our interactions with it have reached new levels.
AJAX is one of the more recent web buzzwords. You see it a lot in the tech world. It’s easy to think of it as yet another fad.
But what if it isn’t?
And what exactly is it anyway?
Jordan Frank’s article on xml.com tries to address both questions and makes the whole thing a lot clearer ( a picture can speak so much stronger than mere words)
Michele Neylon :: Pensieri
Technology, Marketing, Domains, Thoughts
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I’m one of those excited AJAX developers out there, so have my own opinion on what’s going on.
From what I understand of it, AJAX is similar to what Sun promised Java would be – a connection between machines, compatible with every browser and every operating system.
Unlike Java, AJAX does not require that any third-party software be installed. All you need is JavaScript and either a native XMLHTTPRequest object, or IFrames. Luckily, that means that virtually every browser in existance is ready immediately upon loading it up.
From the non-technical user’s perspective, I think they will just notice that everything is suddenly faster.
I remember sitting through the Macromedia presentation at the Irish IT Expo about two years ago, where they were demonstrating client-server interaction with advanced Flash – they were very excited about what they were demonstrating, and I was very impressed with the technology, wishing that Flash was ubiquitous enough that it could be used safely by a web developer.
AJAX provides exactly what that Flash demo promised, without the requirement of the third-party installation of what I still consider to be an inaccessible product, despite their assurances of the opposite.
Personally, I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens in the future. I’ve already developed an AJAX shopping cart (https://inkjet.ie/), and am creating an AJAX-powered event calender at the moment.
$DEITY, I love this stuff!
Kae