Ajax Business Applications

Introduction

Ajax is a method for building highly efficient and interactive web sites. It stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. Through a combination of technologies, Ajax makes it possible for most of the processing work for web page interaction to take place between the server and the browser, not requiring the user to wait for the entire page to re-load each time a request is processed. Ajax applications offer a layer of communication between the server and the browser. XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) is a dynamic combination of XML and HTML.

Both are guided by W3C industry standards and XHTML is defined as a “reformulation of HTML (language used to display documents on the Web) as an application of XML (rules defining data on the Web that can be written by anybody and used for many purposes including describing web page appearance. It allows Web applications to behave more like desktop applications. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) control style and presentation. JavaScript is used in combination with XMLHttpRequest to communicate and implement requests on the DOM (Direct Object Model).

This article will discuss business applications and benefits of using Ajax engines. It will also briefly outline initiatives aimed at compatibility across corporate product development.

Background

Ajax is not a product, but rather a set of methodologies, using the above-mentioned technologies in collaboration. While the term Ajax was coined in 2005, it makes use of pre-existing technologies. Perhaps the most powerful example of Ajax application is its historic connection with Google Suggest and Google Maps. In Jesse Garrett’s 2005 article for Adaptive Path entitled “Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications”, where the term was coined, he focuses in on this connection.

For example, he cites the way suggested terms are updated instantaneously as users type in Google Suggest and mouse interaction in Google Maps to scroll, grab and zoom as example of how Ajax is closing the gap between desktop applications and web applications. Google’s investment in the Ajax approach and it use in other popular web applications like Flickr and Amazon’s A.9 Search engine demonstrate that Ajax is not merely a theoretical model, but a practical tool in developing RIA (Rich Internet Applications.)

Uses

Ajax benefits for business are numerous and generally quantified in dollars in sense through that old equation “time = money”. Through Ajax, the time it takes for employees to access relevant data is reduced. Increased interactivity and efficiency in user interfaces (UI) reduces the amount of time employees require to complete specific tasks. Finally, the cost of bandwidth is reduced because the bulk of processing takes place over the Web between the browser and the server. Additional investment in hardware or Internet connections that support larger loads is not required.

While some Ajax benefits are quantitative (time=money), others are qualitative. Ajax provides a variety of ways to improve user interfaces. Streamlining UI processes with Ajax is wide open and dependent only on the programmer’s imagination. Some of more qualitative benefits of Ajax include the following.

1) By reducing the number of steps it takes to complete a task, the Ajax approach reduces the time it takes to complete the task and the possibility of manual errors in the completion of that task.

2) One of the primary reasons for closing the gap between desktop applications and web applications is the familiarity and superiority of desktop UIs. This requires less training by users, increases productivity and produces fewer errors.

3) Increased responsiveness in web applications is also a qualitative benefit of Ajax web pages. The most obvious benefit is the reduction in wait time as data is updated and requests are processed without refreshing the entire web page. However, seamless user interaction also helps to reduce workflow interruptions and lets users visualize workflow uninterrupted.

Points of Interest

Perhaps the most powerful example of increased Ajax impact can be understood through the Ajax Open Initiative that promotes universal compatibility. This initiative encourages product development across vendors toward this goal. The organizations involved in this initiative include the Dojo Foundation, Google, IBM, Lazlo Systems, Novell, the Mozilla Corporation, Oracle and Yahoo. This initiative promises compatibility across these systems between computer devices, operating systems, desktop systems, and the easy incorporation of Ajax technologies into new and existing software programs and applications.