Ajax

AJAX

Group Members

- Martin Trutina martin_trutina@hotmail.com - Carlee Savory c_savory@hotmail.com - Richard Snyder richy_snyder@hotmail.com - Seth Strankman s.strankman@live.ca

Problem

How is AJAX is changing and developing the web?

Argument

Ajax is a programming made popular in 2005 by Google and other big web developers. Ajax stands for Asynchronous JavaScript And XML. AJAX is changing the web greatly. Its intentions are to increase the web page’s interaction rate, speed/efficiency and most importantly usability. It provides us to use the Internet better than ever before. It helps build dynamic websites and also allows us to save resources. The main function of Ajax is simply to provide a simple mean for a web page to communicate with the server without refreshing the page, were, as some applications other than AJAX require you to interact with a database through different levels. Through the exploration of AJAX through different levels such as its history, functions, disadvantages/advantages and brief examples we can see how AJAX is changing the

History and what is AJAX?

The term AJAX was first coined in February 2005 by Jesse James Garrett. He needed a term that would short and symbolizes everything he was offering : Asynchronous JavaScript And XML. .Although the term was coined in 2005, the technology dates back to 1996, when Internet Explorer introduced it to there IFrame application. Now all major internet Browsers use AJAX Google chrome, internet explore, firefox and safari just to name a few.

What is AJAX? Well as the web development advanced, AJAX become better with a function called XMLHttpRequest allowed JavaScript inside web pages. This allowed the web to get more data. Before, all the data had to be sent with the web page and if you wanted more data, you had to open another web page. However, ajax technology is an engine that sits between the web browser and the web server. XMLHttpRequest (ajax) allows web pages to get more data from the server without opening a new page. This information is gathered in the background without interfering with the display and behavior of the existing page. So it is as if the page is refreshing itself as you continue to browse the web.

Technologies

Javascript- it is scripting language that goes with HTML to create interactive documents

XML- allows you to design a markup language which is used to allows for interchange of documents on the Web

HTML- A markup language used for text and multimedia documents which allows you to set up hypertext links between documents

Disadvantages/Advantages

ADVANTAGES

- AJAX is based on open standards. Meaning, open standards are supported by a variety of browsers and platforms which gives the programmers the accessibility and flexibility to use what they need across browsers.

-Allows the person surfing the web to save time because the webpage does not not need reload its self to bring new data

- it creates better, faster, and better user-friendly web applications

DISADVANTAGES

- Ajax results in lack of design patterns and complexity is increased dramatically.

- Page developers are required to have JavaScript technology training and/or skills

- There is still a lack of design patterns and practice guidelines

- Poorly designed JavaScript code can invite security problems

- JavaScript codes are visible to hackers

- AJAX based applications can be difficult to debug and maintain

- Complexity is increased

Examples

Gmail: the application is continually asking the server if there is new mail and if there is it live updates the page instead of making you download a new one or refresh your current page.

Google Maps: You are able to drag the map around and as you do, it automatically downloads the part of it you want to look at instead of having to open a new page to download.

IGoogle: Is constantly updating the users page as data changes without having to refresh the page

More examples: Netvibes, Pageflakes, My Yahoo! & Windows Live Personalized Experience

Conclusion

Overall AJAX is very important for technologies these days because it groups a layers of internet function/applications to work together to provide the best Web service possible