An AJAX Primer (note: it is not a scrubbing powder)

  

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Web 2.0 is everywhere. And the key enabler is a set of web design tools/languages/protocols that go by the acronym AJAX.

In essence AJAX stands for:

Asynchronous Javascript and XML

It is a Document Object Model - a dynamic display of and interaction with data. This interactivity is the essence of Web 2.0. It includes wikis, blogs, social media, and other web experiences.

XML is used for data exchange. Along with XML we have XSLT which is used to manipulate data. An XMLhttpRequestObject is used for asynchronous communication. Javascript ties all of this together.

AJAX.

Of course, it can't stay this simple. AJAX can be built with other tools/protocols/languages. For instance...

XML is not required for data exchange therefore XSLT is not required for data manipulation. There are alternative formats such as:

• JSON - JavaScript Object Notation
• preformatted html
• plain text

In turn, the XMLhttpRequestObject is not necessary for asynchronous communication. An alternative is IFrames.

Finally, JavaScript is not the only client side scripting language used for implementing AJAX. Alternatives are:

• VBScript
• Other scripting languages

Now, when someone says AJAX you can sound intelligent when you talk about data manipulation and interchange. Unless, of course, they meant the scrubbing powder.

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