The Right Ajax Framework

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Choosing the right Ajax framework could be a little bit tricky since there are hundreds of them in the market right now.

These frameworks could come as open source which means free, or with fees with a promise of technical support and stability. But you don’t just go ahead and go for the free ones. Remember that being free doesn’t guarantee anything and it’s almost a “use at your own risk” guarantee. On the other hand, you should also think twice in getting a paid Ajax framework since it could just drill you for the money without even guaranteeing anything. Sure they could take a look at your problem but some paid frameworks are just all hype that it could have passed off as an open source framework. Personally, I only go by two rules in selecting the right framework for an Ajax project. First is to go for the most popular Ajax framework possible. I sound a little bit traditional for going with the flow but by the mere fact that this framework is popular to Ajax developers really has something. Although there are those that are just pure hype, developers will always have a forum to air out their frustrations on the Ajax Framework. I cannot tell you which one is the most popular since you should select what is popular in your group and not mine. The second rule I go with is its ability to handle JavaScript. This is rather specific but you have to consider the conditions in selecting an Ajax framework. There are frameworks that are smart enough to handle Ajax transactions without the use of JavaScript. Some toolkits, notably GWT (Google Web Toolkit) doesn’t even require a single line of JavaScript from developers since it only accepts Java (big difference there) and translates them into JavaScript. As much as possible prefer to have a JavaScript enabled framework. Although it means more work for you and your team of developers, it gives you more flexibility to create Ajax based programs effectively and according to your own specifications. On the subject of JavaScript since you’ll be working with different developers, you have to make sure you are coding in the same manner. It’s really fortunate that JavaScript is quite smart that it could be written in so many ways. But it will also be a mess if everyone will just code in their hearts content. Make sure you meet with the group and get everyone coding in a uniformed manner. This is extremely important since when you get all the functions together, different codes may seem to work at first but it will eventually be scrambled that nothing will work. User-friendliness of the framework is also one of the factors. You have to remember that you still need to learn about the framework extensively. So it’s best to get something that you could learn fast enough for the project to start immediately. A good Ajax framework will always mean success or failure for you project. Choose wisely and you can easily get the best out of your Ajax based program.