Ajax Web Applications : Powers Dynamic Web Interactivity

Ajax (or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a revolutionary web development technique for creating interactive web applications using a combination of technologies together like html, css, javascript, xml…

Ajax applications use web browsers that support the above technologies as a platform to run on like the Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Konqueror and Apple Safari.

The biggest advantage of using Ajax technologies is that data can be manipulated without having to render the entire page again in the web browser. This allows web applications to respond more quickly to many types of user interaction and to avoid repeatedly sending unchanged information back and forth across the network. While no browser plug-in is required, Ajax requires users to have JavaScript enabled in their browsers.

Simply put Ajax allows real-time fast previews and updates of content without a bulky java applet or embedded flash object. So you want to see the ajax programming at work – two of my favourite tools are powered by ajax. DiggSpy which provides an autorefreshing interface of what digg users are digging realtime. And the LiveMarks which autorefreshes in real time the latest and popular bookmarks at del.icio.us.

More interesting article at Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications by Jesse James Garrett says that

“Google is making a huge investment in developing the Ajax approach. All of the major products Google has introduced over the last year — Orkut, Gmail, the latest beta version of Google Groups, Google Suggest, and Google Maps — are Ajax applications.”

Ajax Web Applications are providing dynamic web interactivity – see where you can spot it!