Web Events of 2005: Google Makes AJAX Mainstream
We hear alot about AJAX these days. AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript And XML) is the technology that allows websites to behave as if they were not website. In the early days, it was simply called XMLHttpRequest. Up until AJAX became popular, most sites required a reload of a page everytime dynamic data changed on it. AJAX allows web sites and applications to behave, well… differently.
The biggest AJAX splash was with Gmail, but that was early 2004. No one was really doing it much, but Google made it a key component of their Gmail interface. At that point, AJAX was noticed.
The event that demonstrated the sheer power of AJAX and put it on the map as a tool for developers to use, however, was Google Maps. With Google maps, the user could seamlessly drag maps around on the screen, get directions quickly and efficiently and even provide satellite imagery.
Simon Willison wrote an article entitled Fun with Google Maps which is well worth the read.
POSTED IN: 12 Events of 2005, Google, Mail, Maps
0 opinions for Web Events of 2005: Google Makes AJAX Mainstream
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: