AJAX is an amalgamation of technologies that give web applications the look-and-feel of desktop applications. At its most simple level, AJAX enables web applications to mimic the speed and immediacy of native clients. Tired of waiting for MapQuest maps to refresh? Images on Google Maps immediately update as users click on various parts of the map. Want an online dictionary that starts looking up definitions before you've finished typing? ObjectGraph Dictionary starts finding and presenting definitions before users have finished spelling the word in question.
Examples such as these demonstrate the first generation of AJAX implementations that dramatically reduce the delay associated with web interactions. However they only scratch the surface of AJAX's potential, namely the creation of web applications that fully replicate a Windows experience in a hosted environment. Imagine enabling users to navigate through a web application with the same degree of familiarity and usability as a desktop application--complete with right-click, treeviews and drop down file menus. In this article, I examine whether AJAX can truly morph browsers into feature-rich, virtual clients and as such usher in a new era in the client/server evolution.
A Brief History
In the beginning large mainframes processed information for dumb terminals. Centralized networks were easy to manage but stifled individual creativity. Then intelligent PCs emerged. Object-oriented development standards and sophisticated user interfaces unleashed the power of end-users but turned MIS departments into management nightmares. Then came the web. Suddenly surfers and mobile workers had access to a network of millions of servers but they could only experience it through early DOS-like web browsers that were plagued by click-and-wait delays.
By empowering web browsers with the potential to deliver the immediacy as well as the look and feel of native clients, AJAX represents another cycle in the client/server evolution--one that merges centralized service delivery with sophisticated user interfaces.
2008 International Mathematica Conference Dr. Dobb's interviews Wolfram Research's Theo Gray, co-founder and Director of User Interfaces, and Roger Germundsson, Director of Research and Development, about the upcoming 2008 International
Mathematica Conference.
How Do You Do Nightly Builds and Tests when there is No Overnight? Software Production in a Geographically Distributed Environment
Attend this Webcast and find out how to overcome common build-test-deploy challenges that affect all members of a distributed team, including:
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<li> Communication difficulties, because of time-zone and cultural differences</li>
<li> Workflow challenges, like lack of documented procedures and build and test handoff problems</li>
<li> Slow build and test cycles, broken builds, and other factors that hamper distributed team productivity</li>
</ul>
Thursday, September 25, 2005 " 11am PT / 2pm ET
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In this volume of Best of BYTE, we explore the emergence of some heuristic algorithms. Although we have only scratched the surface of this intriguing subject, we hope we've suggested the potential of the synthesis of heuristics and algorithms.
Understand C/C++ code in less time. A new team member ? Inherited legacy code ? Get up to speed faster with Crystal Flow for C/C++. Code-formatting improves readability. Flowcharts are integrated with code browser. Export flowcharts to Visio.
