Gmail, GoogleSuggest, and GoogleMap opened the eyes for millions of netizens to a "new" Web: a smarter, more responsive, and more interactive Web that does not employ a foolhardy "click, wait, and refresh" approach. For the first time, the vast majority realize the Web can be much better than what they have assumed.

Developers were the first to notice this. In fact, the developer community was jazzed about the technical approach that Google used. In February 2005, AdapativePath's Jesse James Garrett coined the phrase "AJAX" as "Asynchronous JavaScript + XML" to describe this approach1. In particular, he pointed out the usage of "XMLHttpRequest" object for doing asynchronous communications as a key enabler. Ever since, the term "AJAX" has spread like wildfire.

However, given its widespread use, there is a lot of confusion around AJAX. For example, does AJAX have to be tied to a specific programming language such as JavaScript? Does the data used in an AJAX application have to be XML? What if the application wants to represent the data in a different format? Does AJAX have to be tied to a specific native object like "XMLHttpRequest"?

In other words, is AJAX simply "Asynchronous JavaScript + XML," or can AJAX include something else, such as "Asynchronous Java + XML?"

To Download this E-Book Click Here.