Who's using AJAX?

1. Introduction
2. So what is AJAX anyway?
3. How does AJAX work?
4. Why use AJAX?
5. Is AJAX right for my project?
6. Who's using AJAX?

As this survey shows, AJAX is already widely used in web development. However, its main use is in the development phase, not in the production phase of projects. One of the most important players on the AJAX scene is Google. With Gmail, Google Groups, Google Suggest or Google Maps, AJAX is being put to good use by millions of visitors every day. The user interfaces respond quickly and are pretty intuitive, leaving no time for users to admire a blank screen.

AJAX was used in Meebo to allow users to connect to multiple instant messaging networks from a web-based application, and in Flickr, to allow photo sharing and tagging.

Following this path, InterAKT Online is also committed to developing intelligent, browser-based applications that run like in a desktop environment. KTML is an online visual HTML editor that emulates the familiar Microsoft Word. You can use it for web content authoring just as you would use any other desktop-based text editor.

Illustration 2: KTML - the online HTML editor

MX Query Builder is a visual tool for creating and managing SQL queries. It runs in a browser window, but can be launched from Macromedia Dreamweaver. Its many panels allow asynchronous interaction with your database.

Illustration 3: MX Query Builder - manage queries efficiently

When you're done, you can save your query and use it in Dreamweaver as a regular recordset.

You can find a lot more AJAX-enabled web applications on the AJAX Review website. The AJAX approach to building web applications sheds a new light on the web and helps close the gap between web applications and desktop applications in terms of usability and responsiveness. As the technique approaches maturity, many benefits and pitfalls will be uncovered, but the overall principles promise to revolutionize the web as we know it.  To see what else lies ahead, check out this article on Web 2.0 trends.

If you wish to get a deeper understanding of AJAX, you can also have a look at some of these articles:

• “Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications” from the Adaptive Path website.

• A step-by-step tutorial on building your first AJAX application.

•  You can speak your mind about AJAX and your vision on it on our forums.