Web 2.0 Concepts
There are a number of important innovations which are expected to play a pivotal role in the introduction of Web 2.0. Some of these innovations are applications that are web based. One of the most powerful tools that has allowed this is Ajax.
Ajax is powerful because it has now allowed many web sites to run applications that are very similar to those that are commonly used on personal computers. Some of these applications include spreadsheets and word processing programs. In addition to this, some websites are now capable of carrying out project management functions. A number of operating systems have also appeared that are browser based.
While these operating systems don’t function in the same way as Windows or Mac OS, they mimic the experience that is commonly found with these products. The key advantage they have over traditional operating systems is that they are more functional, and they can be run on almost every browser that is available today.
While many proponents of Web 2.0 tout the potential of these programs, it should also be noted that many such programs where developed during the dot com bubble that occured from 1997 to 2001. Once the bubble burst, many of these programs disappeared from the web. Another innovation that will be seen in Web 2.0 is Rich Internet applications.
Rich Internet applications have been responsible for enhancing the browsing experience of users. With these applications, a page can make a request for an update for various portions of the content, and the content that is altered can be presented in the browser. The cool thing about this is that users will not have to refresh the browser to see these changes.
In addition to Rich Internet applications, another innovation lies in server side software. While the systems will be constructed on the existing structure of the Internet, a higher important will be placed on software that is back end. The syndication will not be very different from the generation of dynamic content management.
However, these services will have a demand for a database that is flexible, and the workflow must be highly robust. Many experts have said that the functionality for the system should be comparable to an application server. Most vendors have taken either one of two approaches, and these are the universal server or the web server plugin.
The universal server approach will allow vendors to bundle the functionality within a single platform, while the web server plugin will allow vendors to use basic publishing tools along with APIs. Perhaps one of the most impressive innovations to be connected with Web 2.0 is client side software.
The additional functionality of Web 2.0 is heavily dependent on the ability of users to access the data that is stored in servers. This can be accomplished in a number of different ways. Forms can be placed on an HTML page, or they could be done through a scripting program like Java or Flash. Each process can be useful because it will allow computers to decrease the workloads that will be placed on servers.
I have also talked in detail about RSS, or Really Simple Syndication. This system is also playing an important role in the development of Web 2.0. The reason for this is because of the syndication that can be used for content that appears on websites.
With RSS, users will be able to interact without the need to deal with websites that are centralized. Two of the prominent protocols that are used for Web 2.0 is SOAP and REST. The term SOAP is used to deal with the posting of messages that are based in XML. Instructions will be set up that the server is expected to follow. REST stands for Representational State Transfer, and it is a method of manipulating and altering data on a server by using HTTP verbs. While Web 2.0 is slated to help bring more advancement of the Internet, many of the Internet pioneers feel that it is nothing truly new.
They feel that the key concepts for Web 2.0 are already present in the underlying structure for Web 1.0. Indeed, many of the advancements discussed in Web 2.0 have been used by companies like Amazon.com since the 1990s.
