Holstein

Perhaps you use LinkedIn - or Jobster - and very probably you've had a look at Google routes - so you cannot but have pointed out that these sites and others have an alternative look and feel. Its maybe not about but about just how which they appear faster and easier to utilize.

Therefore many sites are slow and tedious giving you the impression thatyou have plenty o...

Perhaps you have noticed how the experience of the net is changing?

Perhaps you use LinkedIn - or Jobster - and very probably you've had a look at Google maps - so you can not but have realized that these sites and others have an alternative look and feel. Its not about but about the way they appear faster and easier to use.

So many websites are slow and tedious giving the sensation to you thatyou have sufficient time to obtain a coffee or even visit lunch. It's the awful hourglass. You click the hourglass and a appears as the site contacts the server and the server considers what it's going to send back to you.

There is a reason for the newest web sites being faster and better to use. Their called AJAX.

Not the cleaner created in 1947 or the legendary Greek hero but a web development strategy.

AJAX is not new technology but a mix of existing mature systems. Its an abbreviation for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML and a web development way to make web pages feel more receptive. It does this by exchanging small amounts ofdata with the server behind the scenes and shows it without re-fetching the whole site at the same time, hence the definition of Asynchronous.

In case you are not entirely clear what asynchronous means, synchronous means that processes are influenced by other processes 1 > > 2 > > 3 etc whereas asynchronous is the power to handle processes independently from other processes.

It may seem that putting a layer to any application is likely to make it less open, but because the browser first loads an AJAX motor responsible for both providing the program the user sees and communicating with the server on the people benefit the user is quite rarely looking at an hourglass star waiting around for the serverto do something.

Every user action that normally would make work with the host goes to the AJAX engine instead. Any reaction to an individual action that doesnt require a journey back once again to the machine the engine handles by itself. in order to respond if the engine requires something from the machine it makes those needs asynchronously without affecting a users interaction with the application form.

This means AJAX is sexy just now - a little like Flash has been. It may be very attractive to use AJAX mainly because AJAX is cool or my boss said to.

However when you're developing any site you should think about your customers first. What do this application needed by them to accomplish? What'll ensure it is more straightforward to use? A good rule of thumb regarding whether or not to make use of AJAX IS: AJAX is for action not material.

If you're not accessing data that changes then you may want to reconsider. The point of the asynchronous request is that it makes demands to the server for information that has changed faster - because it's happening whilst the reader does something else. When they click a link or switch information shows up straight away. Then you probably should not use Ajax to access it, if your articles or information never or seldom changes.

Then there are other issues:

Site changes

When an entirely new site is produced there's a short moment of re-adjustment once the material changes. Since this doesnt happen with smaller portions of the display this becomes more apparent. This will keep people thinking.

Seo

The JavaScript code wasn't generally read by search engines necessary for AJAX. This could mean AJAX pages stay un-indexed until a static page is provided.

JavaScript

As AJAX utilizes JavaScript, that will be implemented differently by different browsers or even different types of the same browser the JavaScript may have to be rewritten for a number of browser( s) type( s) though history libraries are resolving this, but a problem still arises if the user has turned off JavaScript help in the browser.

Internet analytics

Several internet analytics options are based on a new page being loaded when new or updated material is shown to the consumer or to observe an approach such as a check-out. Because Ajax alters this attention should be taken up to account for how exactly to ensure a page or perhaps a portion of a page could be accurately tracked.

Having created anything above, Google has made an enormous investment in developing AJAX websites. All the major products and services Google has presented such as for example Orkut, Gmail, Google Groups, Google Suggest and Google Maps are AJAX applications.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelacyusa

However AJAX [and other terms such as Rich Internet Applications or RIA for tolls such as Flash] are simply new terms for a systems and technology combinations which have been around for years.

Given the hype for these terms, it's reasonable not to get overly enthusiastic. Careful examination of when and how exactly to use AJAX is vital.

Dont overlook that Flash and other programs still don't form the cornerstone on most websites and usability is wanted by users first. If AJAX improves the customers knowledge whether via design or speed then its worth taking into consideration vigilantly.