Simplifying Ajax-style Web development

Conventional browser-based Web applications require the user to submit a request to the server, wait for the server to process the request and generate a response, and then wait for the browser to update the interface with the results. This request-wait-response-wait pattern is extremely disruptive and lowers productivity. High network latency and interface complexity and slow server responsiveness can further impair the user experience, resulting in decreased customer satisfaction, shorter and less frequent Web site visits, and, ultimately, reduced revenue to e-businesses. In this article the author describes asynchronous JavaScript and XML, a standards-based programming technique designed to make Web-based applications more responsive, interactive, and customizable - in short, to recreate the seamless user experience of most other desktop applications.