What is AJAX?
Ajax is a collection of web technologies (Javascript, XML, XHTML and CSS) used to create a more interactive and real-time experience from websites. As web developers, we’re aiming to create web sites that function and respond in the same way as the conventional applications you use on your PC. A good example of this is Microsoft’s Outlook Web Access which is virtually identical to the standalone application. (Incidentally, if you have Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 you have everything you need to run OWA and Outlook Mobile Access - talk to my friend Tony Moffa at iConsult; he’ll sort it!).
In the old days, nothing happened until you hit the submit button, but with AJAX the server and browser can be communicating asynchronously to deliver a more immediate experience. At Kayak for example, when you begin to enter the airport name, possible suggestions immediately appear.
Writing about AJAX gives me the opportunity to remind Webreality clients that reWrite 2.0 is approaching release candidate 1. We hope to concluded the first implementation within the next week. The administration interface for reWrite 2.0 makes extensive use of AJAX technology, so that it will now be possible to see dynamic views of your entire site, and to drag-and-drop content in the same way you use Windows file explorer. More to follow!
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AJAX has some major drawbacks though, from a usability perspective it breaks users expectations (one URL, one page), nevermind the total lack of ability to bookmark or email an URL (same reason frames are bad).
What about the approx 10% of users who don’t have JS support, or have it disabled? Does the interface degrade gracefully for them?
Is Accessibility taken into account, especially with screen readers? (http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200605/ajax_javascript_support_and_screen_reader_accessibility/)
The Web is not ment to be an application, never was; what was wrong with a simpler approach using HTTP POST for previews and having JS as an enhancement rather than a requirement?