Ajax The Definitive Guide.pdf

Ajax melds together existing technologies to help developers give web users a more advanced browsing experience. By utilizing XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, and XML, all tried-and-true technologies, along with the XMLHttpRequest object, you can turn browsers into application platforms that closely mirror desktop applications. This capability is allowing existing web sites to convert to Web 2.0 sites, while increasing the number of new web applications that can be found on the Internet today. Not that long ago, some web technologies, especially JavaScript, were losing their user base as developers turned their attention to other technologies, such as Flash, that could provide more of the functionality that was needed. The coining of Ajax in 2005 gave JavaScript the shot in the arm that some developers felt was sorely needed, and since then, some truly wonderful things have been done with JavaScript that were never thought possible before. New innovations, together with the functionality of Ajax, have given the Web a new look and appeal. Ajax: The Definitive Guide explores what you can do with Ajax to enhance web sites and give them a Web 2.0 feel, and how additional JavaScript enhancements can turn a web browser and web site into a true application. Even before that, you will get a background on what goes into today’s web sites and appli- cations. Knowing what comprises Ajax and how to use it helps you apply it more effectively and integrate it with the latest web technologies (advanced browser search- ing, web services, mashups, etc.). This book also demonstrates how you can build applications in the browser, as an alternative to the traditional desktop application. Ajax is giving developers a new way to create content on the Web while throwing off the constraints of the past. Web 2.0 technologies are being integrated with Ajax to give the Web a new punch that could only be achieved before with browser plug-ins. Ajax is helping to redefine how we all should look at the Web, and I hope this book puts you on the path to defining your own Web 2.0 applications.