How Ajax Can Improve Web Applications
Many Ajax pioneers such as Jesse James Garret feel that the Internet is pushing innovation. They feel that some of the greatest future developments will be made online. Personally, I agree with them. There are a number of ways in which Ajax can be used to improve the web applications that we use today.
Many web developers are jealous of their desktop development counterparts. While there are a number of reasons for this, the primary issue is connected to the fact that desktop applications are much more robust and efficient. While web applications have continued to become more advanced over the last decade, the fact remains that they are much less responsive than desktop tools.
When the web was first introduced, people marveled at its simplicity. However, it is this simplicity which has created a gap between the things users experience on desktop applications and they things they experience on the web. However, the introduction of Ajax indicates that the gap is closing. If you don’t believe me, all you have to do is look at programs like Google Suggest. Notice how the terms you suggest are updated as fast as you type.
You will also want to look at Google Maps. Use the cursor to scroll around the map and zoom in. As you can see, everything happens quickly. You don’t have to wait for pages to load or reload.
As you look at Google Search and Google Maps, this is a good example of what developers want the web to be like in the future. The technique that will be used to achieve this effect is Ajax. Ajax stands for Asynchronous JavaScript + XML, and it has created a paradigm shift in what users can experience over the Internet.
When you talk about Ajax, it is important for you to properly define it. Ajax is not technically a technology. Rather, it is a group of technologies, and all of them can be used independent of each other. To understand why Ajax is so impressive, you must first understand how the existing web operates.
With the classic web, most actions carried out by the user will initiate a request via HTTP. This request will go through the web server, and the server will be responsible for processing the information. Some of the things it will have to do are process numbers, gather data, and communicate with multiple legacy systems.
Once it has done all of these things, it will then send information back to the client in the form of HTML. The model is consistent with the web’s original purpose of using hypertext. However, while this process may be useful for hypertext, it is not useful for various applications.
It must be noted that while the traditional web processes are useful from a technical view, they are not good for the users that work on the web. Since many of the people who use the web today are not interested in technical issues, it only makes sense to focus on the experience of the user. While the server performs various tasks, the user is waiting.
Since people are looking to acquire information rapidly, waiting has always been a tedious process. The introduction of Ajax is crucial of the web is to become faster and more interactive. If the web was designed from the beginning to be a tool that was based on applications, users wouldn’t have to wait so long.
However, when you take into consideration the fact that the web was originally on used by scientists and government organizations, it makes sense that it operates in this manner. However, the user demands of today are much different than 12 years ago. An emphasis must be placed on the development and initiation of applications, and this is where Ajax becomes so powerful.
Ajax is important because it provides an engine that can act as a conduit between the server and the user. While some would think that adding this engine would slow down the response time, all the evidence shows that this is not the case. When a user starts a sessions, the Ajax engine will be loaded instead of the browser. It will be concealed in a frame, and it will help load the interface and communicate with the server.
