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I would highly reccommend any one that even begins to contemplate using ajax in their web app to check out the Dojo Toolkit and it's IO::Bind functionality. It transparently handles back/forward functionality and deals with bookmarkability quite well as long as you use it correctly. For small AJAX tricks like google suggest-esq autocomplete, this is a moot point, but if you are writing a serious web app that relies on asyncronous communication with the server, you need to deal with these issues.

Apparently a new XUL app called "ajaxWrite" was just launched. I think this thing is going to be my poster child for what's wrong with single-renderer markup languages from now on. It might be a fine app, I haven't used it long enough to have a strong opinion, but its marketing is truly reprehensible. I'm sure someone assured Michael Robertson that they couldn't launch a web-ish app without tacking the word "ajax" in the title and the folks with sense were shouted down. A pity. This thing is appropriating the necessarily amorphous terminology of "Ajax" for an implementation that is directly at odds with why Ajax is an important technology. A XUL app being billed as "Ajax" is just as laughable as a Flex or XAML app suddenly growing the same moniker. That it's Mozilla's walled-garden language doesn't really excuse the gaffe.

It strikes me curious that everybody creates it's own Ajax implementation but at the end you can't keep the sources closed. So why not team up with all the Ajax initiatives and concentrate on a single OpenSource implementation. I've just started to delve into the Dojo toolkit (http://dojotoolkit.org/) which seems to become quite amazing. See for yourself if it isn't the better way than your homebrew implementation.

O. Wyss

If Novells means it serious they have to look into wyoGuide (http://wyoguide.sf.net/) for developing cross-platform binary applications and into Dojo toolkit (http://dojotoolkit.org/) for developing web applications. I'm quite sure these are the best way how to do cross-platform development. Besides this might lead to a new future where choosing any platform might not depend anymore on the availability of applications (see http://wyoguide.sf.net/papers/Cross-platform.html.

For Linux fans read this LXer article (http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/54009/index. html).

O. Wyss

What I'd like to know is what AJAX library they use. Does Google build its own library and do they plan to release it to the public (OpenSource) or do they use another? I guess they don't use Yahoo's library and probably also not Zimbra's, so what else?

I'm starting to use the Dojo toolkit (http://dojotoolkit.org/) which might become the top free AJAX library. See my first easy samples "tree?.html" at (http://wyoguide.sf.net/test/.

O. Wyss

What a revolutionary insight of a Java-follower! Congratulation, when looking at all these language flamewars, its extra ordinary that anybody can mention this and even be published by a company which bases their SW business on Java.

I'd like to give Bruce Tate or IBM some tips in which direction they might venture to get more insight:

- Web-Clients: HTML + Javascript with the Dojo toolkit (http://dojotoolkit.org/)
- Web-Servers: PHP/Perl/Ruby/..., whatever you like
- Binary applications: C++ with the wxWidgets framework (http://www.wxwidgets.org/)
- Database: SQL with ... (not enough knowlegde to make recommendations)

There are probably many more areas with recomendations but not from me, so just add your own. But think there isn't a perfect language for everthing so it should be now clear that one needs a multi language strategy to become or stay successful.

O. Wyss

Some very simple samples but with understandable code, just go to

http://wyoguide.sourceforge.net/test/tree1.html
http://wyoguide.sourceforge.net/test/tree2.html
http://wyoguide.sourceforge.net/test/tree3.html
http://wyoguide.sourceforge.net/test/tree4.html

try them out and view the source. For more info go to http://dojotoolkit.org/

O. Wyss

As I've begun writing applications for a living I've gradually been looking for a easy easy easy method of application development. Something that is truly RAD. For desktop applications I've settled on an old Amiga BASIC language and cross platform application framework called PureBASIC that's been ported for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. However for web toolkits I still haven't found that "magic bullet" that makes things truly and absolutely simple.

I've settled with wxWidgets/wyoGuide (see http://wyoguide.sf.net/ ) for binary applications development and now start delving into the Dojo-toolkit (see http://dojotoolkit.org/) plus PHP for web development. These are the best ways for me to do cross-platform development.

O. Wyss

Prototype is a de-facto standard set of extensions for JavaScript and DHTML. MochiKit is another powerful library. Projects like Dojo, Rico and Script.aculo.us build on top of those libraries to privide UI functionality like non-HTML widgets, grag/drop and animations.

There is very little real value in the code Yahoo! just offered, unless you want another library to do the same things. This is nothing more than a publicity stint.

Prototype is a de-facto standard set of extensions for JavaScript and DHTML. MochiKit is another powerful library. Projects like Dojo, Rico and Script.aculo.us build on top of those libraries to privide UI functionality like non-HTML widgets, grag/drop and animations.

There is very little real value in the code Yahoo! just offered, unless you want another library to do the same things. This is nothing more than a publicity stint.

I mean, the first articles explaining how to create cross-browsers XMLHTTP requests ain't have more than a pair of years anyway...

Wouldn't it be slightly more interresting if Slashdot promoted useful stuff such as the Dojo or Mochikit Javascript libraries/toolkits (others exist btw, those are just fairly stable and advanced), which actually:

• Make that kind of stuff easier
• Make that kind of stuff more reliable
• Give great tools/shortcuts for working with javascript
• Actually work

Just wondering...

Sure, it is possible in principle to use graceful degradation to serve alternate content to these users, but most designers don't bother designing two versions of their pages and reserve the no script option for a "helpful" link to the download site for an ajax-supporting browser version.

This is the purpose for the Dojo toolkit. The degredation is built-in. http://www.dojotoolkit.org/

Here take a look at this svg demo.

I'd go a step further (higher). As more and more things are moving to the Web, and as web application are getting richer and richer, I'd guess that in the next 5 or so years the OS will become quite irrelevant to the end user, who will access a lot more "desktop" applications through a web interface.

Sure, not a problem. For more cool javascript stuff checkout:

Some more demos from dojo (the editor one is neat, after you select your toolbars, it lets you edit the text of the page on the fly.

Another site, OpenRico, has a neat javascript library. The link takes you to their live grid which updates in realtime through AJAX, but above the grid you'll see their other demos that you can click to view.

Here is another site, ActiveWidgets, their 1.0 version is just a very customizable grid that can be made to look like anything from an excel spreadsheet to a listing of files in a directory (look at the examples linked to from their front page). If you scroll down on this page you'll see links to examples for their 2.0 beta. Check out all 3, you can make your website essentially appear like a native WinXP dialogue (I think that is WinXP, I run Fedora though).

Keep in mind all of this is in javascript/css/html, its also all opensource (you can search for other projects like these, a notable site is scriptaculous). Its really neat to see javascript finally being used to its full potential, web apps should get really interesting in the next few years.

Regards,
Steve

AJAX is hyped a bit, but it really does have some neat capabilities. Actually I've noticed better use of javascript in general recently. Its a very powerful language and only now is its true potential being realized. For some cool examples check out:

This which is a live grid of data updated through AJAX.

This which is just a cool javascript toolbar that also uses SVG icons if your browser is capable (Most people who see this think its flash at first).

This or any of the examples linked to on page.

Web Applications really are starting to take on a whole new generation of capablities and software. I personally think that is pretty neat, its like the perfect merger of fat and thin clients.
Regards,
Steve

For a really cool use of SVG (it uses png if SVG isn't available), check this out. That is pure javascript/css/html.
Regards,
Steve

there are a lot of them...

Sarissa - http://sarissa.sourceforge.net/doc/
Prototype - http://prototype.conio.net/
Dojo - http://dojotoolkit.org/
SAJAX - http://absinth.modernmethod.com/sajax/
DWR - http://www.getahead.ltd.uk/dwr/
JSON-RPC-Java - http://oss.metaparadigm.com/jsonrpc/