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Bhopu / Tags /
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Posted On
Sep 27, 2007
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What is AJAX?
If there is anything about the current interaction design that we can state as ‘fascinating’, it has to be an Ajax application. Ajax is a dramatic departure from the traditional page-based model, which requires an entire Web page to be reloaded for the information to be communicated between the client and the server.
While seemingly simplistic, AJAX opens doors for Web-application developers that had previously been shut. It relies on nothing but the built-in browser internals. No extra software needs to be distributed to users, making AJAX an attractive option for companies that are concerned about the security and logistical implications of distributing installed software to users.
If we look at the Google Suggest, check out the way suggested terms update as you type, almost instantly. Another very fine example is the Google Map, Zoom in, Use your cursor to grab the map and scroll around a bit. Again, everything happens almost instantly, with no waiting for pages to reload. Isn’t that amazing?
Google Map and Google Suggest are two fine examples of the new approach to the web applciations that is called at AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML).
Ajax isn’t a technology. It’s really several technologies, each flourishing in its own right, coming together in powerful new ways. Ajax incorporates:
• standards-based presentation using XHTML and CSS;
• dynamic display and interaction using the Document Object Model;
• data interchange and manipulation using XML and XSLT;
• asynchronous data retrieval using XMLHttpRequest;
• and JavaScript binding everything together.
The classic web application model works like this: Most user actions in the interface trigger an HTTP request back to a web server. The server does some processing — retrieving data, crunching numbers, talking to various legacy systems — and then returns an HTML page to the client.
What AJAX Does And Why You Should Consider Using It
AJAX is a new technology that relies on JavaScript. The JavaScript code that AJAX employs allows it to perform to the point that there’s very little perceptible delay with the user interface. This means that the user experience is far more enjoyable since users don’t wait for page updates and refreshes.
AJAX can just about solve the postback delay issue if your applications can simply update the portion of the page that needs to be updated. Easy, right? People have been trying to solve that for years with IFRAMES and other technologies. But none have worked nearly as well as AJAX, which is built on JavaScript technology.
AJAX allows web applications to perform partial page updates. Only the page elements that need to be updated are, thus providing a far more responsive page refresh mechanism. And if a web application developer is judicious in how pages are designed, there is almost no perceptible refresh delay.
AJAX can save bandwidth
Traditional Web applications deliver a tremendous amount of redundant information, particularly if pages are coded in old-fashioned HTML laden with tags. In such sites the amount of structuring and presentation markup required may be nearly as significant as that required to serve up the textual content of the page. However, following an AJAX design pattern, applications need to download page layout and structure items just once, and then update new data as needed, which could significantly reduce the application's bandwidth footprint per user session.
Companies using AJAX application
Google is making a huge investment in developing the Ajax approach. All of the major products Google has introduced over the last year — Orkut, Gmail, the latest beta version of Google Groups, Google Suggest, and Google Maps — are Ajax applications. (For more on the technical nuts and bolts of these Ajax implementations, check out these excellent analyses of Gmail, Google Suggest, and Google Maps.) Others are following suit: many of the features that people love in Flickr depend on Ajax, and Amazon’s A9.com search engine applies similar techniques.
These projects demonstrate that Ajax is not only technically sound, but also practical for real-world applications. This isn’t another technology that only works in a laboratory. And Ajax applications can be any size, from the very simple, single-function Google Suggest to the very complex and sophisticated Google Maps.
AJAX the future of web application
All major browser platforms now support AJAX, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla FireFox, Netscape, Opera and Safari. There's also a move toward standardization of XML HTllJthe core component of AJAX.
Performing targeted information updates, or micro-updates, can substantially reduce network loads, in addition to faster interaction with live data. Benefits can be measured through total bytes transferred, total download time and steps/seconds to complete a task.
The increasing relevance of AJAX is most obvious when looking at high-profile offerings, such as Google Maps and Salesforce.com, but what isn't obvious is that it's quietly making inroads in large and small companies. Its rapid adoption signals a shift in the way enterprises will build and deliver future Web applications.
The biggest challenges in creating Ajax applications are not technical. The core Ajax technologies are mature, stable, and well understood. Instead, the challenges are for the designers of these applications: to forget what we think we know about the limitations of the Web, and begin to imagine a wider, richer range of possibilities.
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Posted On
Aug 13, 2007
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 I’ve been a huge fan of Meebo ever since the day they started, or rather since the day I heard about them. A website that enables you to chat using your Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, AIM and own Meebo account without having the software installed for these IRC’s. It’s simply brilliant, finally someone saw that people don’t always want to install messenger, or Google Talk..they want to use their accounts on any machine anywhere…the chat window is embedded in the actual web page, which can pop-out to create a pretty cool and similar looking window as the actual software-GUI.
I like the young look for the homepage-very sharp. Among Meebo's nice touches are a typing indicator (so you can see if someone is responding to a message you've sent) and a time stamp (so you know when messages arrived). The service's software also lets you mouse over names on your buddy list to see how long they've been connected.
I noticed that it doesn’t require registration, but you get some added functionality if you do choose to register. One extra is a single sign-on for all of your IM accounts. Meebo allows registered users to save chat logs, store conversations, and add personalized touches such as icons and skins to the application.
Just like many new Web-based IM services I’ve come across, Meebo also carries some difficulty notifying you when a new message arrives. To make the browser tab blink, or to set a flashing icon in your system tray, you'd have to download software--which defeats the primary purpose of using a Web-based service, so Meebo doesn't offer this option.
Overall, Meebo gives you a handy way to access your IM account when you're away from your PC. And it's so easy to use that you may want to consider it as a replacement for your bloated desktop client.
So for all my friends who want to chat online but don’t have the software installed, or have firewalls in place that prevent chatting, head over to Meebo. But watch out guys, it might decrease your productivity levels unbelievably!
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Posted On
Aug 08, 2007
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 Thanks to my friend who invited me to open an account with GMail few years back. I remember the first thing I noticed after logging in was that Google’s email had a simplistic interface, which I liked. The UI of GMail was drastically different than anything I’ve ever used for email before. Here are a few excellent advantages of having a Gmail account:
The Standard version of GMail is supported on most browsers. If you are on an older version of Internet Explorer or Netscape then you don't get all the features but you do get a basic HTML version.
You can configure your GoogleMail address to work with Outlook if you would rather use MS Outlook or keep more than one email address together. I find though that even after only a relatively short time, I hardly ever use my other email address now. I can go days and days without even checking it The advantage of using the POP settings is you can work off line and access your emails, so read and reply off line, then connect to send and receive.
I love the fact that all the contacts are auto-stored so you do not have to do anything. If you want to send an email, you can just type the first letter of their name in the "to:" box and you will get a drop down menu.
The next unique part is that all the email replies are stored as one continuous conversation. So you might be having say 10 conversations with different people going on at once, and instead of 100 emails, you will just have 10 conversations in your Inbox. You can expand and collapse the conversation, and forward or reply from any point.
You also notice that there are not any advertisements with GoogleMail like there are with Hotmail and other providers.
Since I opened an email account I have never had any problems signing in, unlike on Hotmail which does go down from time to time.
Attaching files to an email is really quick and simple on GMail. Compared to Hotmail, its a whole lot quicker and better. Try and see.
I did not hold a very technical approach to this review, but I guess that it gives an idea to all of how good this email provider is.
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