Cutting Through the Ajax Hype

An anonymous reader writes "If you're thinking about building an Ajax application of your own, this article would be a good place to start. It's an introductory-level guide about when and how to implement Ajax. It provides a balanced discussion about where exactly using Ajax makes sense, and where it does not."

Comments

This article is moot

[Timesprout]

Now that Google has released GWT as open source. All the fanbois will rush to ajaxify their sites regardless of requirements, creating even greater mostrocities while all the time laughing at sites which are not sufficiently 'ajaxy'.

Then XAML and XUL will see greater adoption for rich client development and we return to the days when ajax was just a household cleaner.

Re:This article is moot

[Scrameustache]

the days when ajax was just a household cleaner. *mumble*hero of the battle of Troy*mumble*

Ajax is no easy substitute for good design

[EraserMouseMan]

The thing that made AJAX catch on is that a few of the very first notable web apps were very heavy on graphic design and well-thought-out layout.

So now everybody thinks that if their website can just be written with AJAX technology it will automatically come with a smooth, user-friendly and beautiful interface.

AJAX is just one technique. You still need to be highly skilled at all the other web-coding disciplines else to end up with a great web app.

Re:Ajax Hype

[Anonymous Coward]

Plug-ins are often "shoved aside" so that the application will run in some of the strict corporate IT environments. A bunch of our customers (mostly banks) don't allow any plug-ins installed on their users' machines. We'd love to use flash instead of AJAX, but we're forced to use only features of the core browser.

Is this relevant?

[romit_icarus]

Last month, I was on my way to visit a friend. It was dark and I got lost, and I tried to find his address in my computer. His coordinates were included in the e-mail he sent me that day. Unluckily for me, that e-mail message was sent to my GMail account, and, being disconnected from the Internet, I was left with quite a negative experience. In one split second, all the benefits of zero-install, a cool UI, labels, free targeted advertisements, an extremely useful search engine, and platform independence were annihilated when I could not find my friend's address because I was out of range of a Wi-Fi hotspot.

No - you couldn't find your address because you were stupid enough not to jot it down on a piece of paper when you had the chance. Seriously, blaming GMail for not being able to access data locally is asking a bit too much of the Internet, le talone of Ajax!