Going Beyond Ajax Intentions

Ajax has provided us a lot of things both good and bad. Since its inception in 2005, it has completely revolutionized the way we look at the web. Gone are the days when we looked at the web for information. Now our websites are more than information sources they are information processors.

Websites can be used to process office documents, create pictures and even edit videos. Earlier we used to do that even before Ajax through other client side languages such as Java and Flash. But Ajax is entirely a different thing.

Java and Flash may have some requirements in the local gadget before it could run but Ajax will require nothing from their users. The online application will just go ahead and execute the function.

But Ajax used to be a programming technique to emulate the functions of HTML based websites. The end result is an interactive application but without much function.

When Ajax was launched it was not understandable. The programming technique was not really accepted and took some time before it could finally be accepted.

Developers would have to wait for sometime before they could move on from being an eye-candy programming technique. What they had was just the potential.

Now that our hardware and internet connection has vastly improved, we might be able to move out from the basic use of Ajax. There are already websites that does this but they are basically limited to those who have resources and time to build an application.

There are frameworks that somehow cut the development time of building an Ajax based application but it did not really answered the concerns of users.

Some would say that the browser cannot keep up with updates of Ajax but that really depends on how developers could work around the "barrier" in building applications.

Users Aims as Goals

In developing applications, the goal of the users in using the online application should also be the goal of developers. Ajax not only enhanced the beauty of the application but it could also provide functions.

Productivity should be the end goal of applications and  Ajax should be built towards that goal.  Online applications are not just built overnight. They have to be built for sometime and if they are not started now, no online application would ever satisfy users.

Two Questions:

Why Ajax?
We know there are security problems with Ajax but there are ways to curb that problem from the developer side and in the user side. Online applications for Ajax will work great in any platform, most browsers and will even run through weak internet connection.

Why Now?
Technology is always advancing but it will require people to make them advance. The development of Ajax has already started. The OpenAjax Alliance is constantly pushing for innovations. But they still need developers to push it even harder.

Through innovations, more and more online applications will come out and eventually, the application that could rival even the most stable local application will come out.