Datasheet

Others have spent a significant amount of time dissecting Garrett’s article and disproving several

assumptions that he makes. For instance, the article mentions using XML and XMLHttp repeatedly as

being the core of the Ajax model, but many of the examples he lists don’t use them. Gmail and Google

Maps use these technologies sparingly; Google Suggest uses only XMLHttp and uses JavaScript arrays

instead of XML for data exchange. Critics also point out that the technical explanation of Ajax in the arti-

cle is completely misleading, citing several technologies that are not only unnecessary (such as XML and

XMLHttp) but unlikely to be used in many cases (such as XSLT).

Another big argument surrounding Ajax and Garrett’s Adaptive Path article is that it’s merely a new

name for a technique that has already been used for some time. Although this type of data retrieval

could be enacted in Netscape Navigator 2.0, it really became more prominent in 2001–2002, especially

with the publication of an article on Apple’s Developer Connection site entitled, “Remote Scripting With

IFRAME” (available at

http://developer.apple.com/internet/webcontent/iframe.html). This

article is widely believed to be the first mainstream article published on Ajax-like methodologies. The

term remote scripting never caught on with quite the staying power as Ajax.

Still others scoff at the term Ajax and Garrett’s article, believing that its creation was little more than a

marketing gimmick for Garrett’s company, Adaptive Path, LLC. Some believe that creating a name for a

technique that already existed is disingenuous and a clear sign of ill intent. Regardless of this and other

controversies surrounding Ajax, the approach now has a name that developers are quickly becoming

familiar with, and with that comes a need for a deeper understanding and explanation so that it may be

used in the best possible ways.

Ajax and Web 2.0

Shortly after the term Ajax was coined, another term began popping up. Web 2.0 was originally the

name of a conference held by O’Reilly Media and CMP Media in late 2005. After that, the term Web 2.0

took on a life of its own and began popping up all over the Internet in descriptions of how the Web had

changed. To try to rein in the term before it got out of control, Tim O’Reilly (founder and CEO of

O’Reilly) wrote an article entitled, “What is Web 2.0” (available online at

www.oreillynet.com/

pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

), describing the concepts that he

believes Web 2.0 represents. These concepts include:

❑ The Web as services, not software

❑ The group mentality of the Web — users encouraged to participate (as with tagging, blogging,

networking, and so on)

❑ Separation of data and presentation – data can be represented in any number of ways and com-

bined with any other data sources (called mashups)

❑ Richer, more responsive user experience

Ajax is tied to the last point, creating a richer experience for the user. To be clear, Ajax is not synonymous

with Web 2.0, and Web 2.0 doesn’t speak just of Ajax; Web 2.0 is about a shift in the very character of the

Web. While Ajax is an important part of creating the next generation user experience that Web 2.0 signi-

fies, it is just a one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Chapter 1

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