Introduction
Ajax is a system that is comprised of a number of different technologies, and some of these include DOM, HTML, JavaScript, and DHTML. These technologies together are used to create an approach that will allow users to transform static web interfaces into those which are highly interactive. To fully understand the power of Ajax, you must be able to first understand how these various technologies work together. One of the most important factors in the success of Ajax is the XMLHttpRequest object. A few years ago, developers who didn’t know XML were often not popular among their peers.
Within the last two years, systems like Ruby have been hyped and slated to be the next big thing. Currently, Ajax is one of the most popular systems on the web. But unlike the others, all the evidence shows that Ajax is much more than just a fad. It is a powerful method for building websites, and it is not as difficult to learn as many programming languages. In addition to defining Ajax, you must also be able to understand how it functions, and what role it plays in the development of the Internet. First, if you write a standard application today, your choices are basically broken down in two types, and these are those that are web based, and those that are desktop based.
The Relationship of Ajax with Desktop and Web Based Apps
Desktop applications are those that can essentially function without the Internet. They are designed to run on a computer, and they use the operating system and the computer as a platform. These applications will generally come in the form of a CD, and the user will be expected to put the CD in their drive, install the program, and then run it. While the user may access the Internet to download updates for the program, the actual code which is used to run this application will remain on your desktop.
As the name suggests, web applications are programs which are designed to be run over the web. They will utilize web servers, and they will use the web as a platform to function and operate. In most cases, these applications can be accessed via a web browser. The most important thing with a web application is not the code, but the ways in which the application behave. Because desktop applications run off your computer, they are generally very fast. The reason for this is simple. They don’t have to wait on your Internet connection. They have powerful user interfaces, and they are highly dynamic.
Web Application Fundamentals
While desktop applications have a number of powerful advantages over their web based counterparts, there are many advantages that web applications have over those that run on desktops. First, these applications can offer services that no desktop application can offer. The reason for this is because they are directly connected to the Internet. Some examples of powerful web based applications include Amazon and eBay. Despite this, the biggest problem web applications have is the waiting process. You have to wait for the server to give you a response, and you have to wait for the screen to be refreshed.
The goal of Ajax is to bring the strengths of desktop applications to the web, while reducing their weaknesses. By taking the best of both worlds and merging them together in a system, an entirely new hybrid can be created in which the web becomes much more dynamic and interactive. With Ajax applications, you have all the fancy controls and speed of the desktop applications, but you have the global connectivity of applications which are web based. This is the goal of Ajax developers, and they are well on their way to being successful.
New Features, But Old Technology
I always like to emphasize how Ajax is not truly new. The foundation has existed for nearly a decade or more, and developers in the 1990s were well aware of its capabilities. However, at the time, the XMLHttpRequst object had not been fully realized. Because developers were not able to harness the power of this object, their success was greatly reduced. Once developers begin harnessing the power of this object, their success rate with Ajax gradually increased.
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