AJAX… how does it work?

Although some people had already written something about AJAX, I try to explain the advantages of how AJAX will work and what the differences to old-fashioned sites are.

Websites that does not use AJAX-technology shows the content that the server has transferred to the client. By clicking on a hyperlink, e.g. for reading the next blog post or to show details of a product, the client will request the target site. The server will send this requested site with all connected data (e.g. pictures, videos or sounds) and the client starts to display the site on the browser. In case that some data is delayed the representation of the site will be delayed as well. The user might not be able to use that website and might loose interest in the website.


Using AJAX means that the server first sends the website and afterwards will only send the requested data. The clicking on a link means starting a JavaScript-Procedure that will request only needed data. The server will send only this data to the client where it will be integrated to the website (by changing some parts of the websites).


The advantages of this technique are that the load on a server and the sent data will be reduced. On the client side, applications seem more like desktop application than web applications.



Sources:
Ajax Programming for the Absolute Beginnerby Jerry Lee Ford, Jr.,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_(programming)

First Blog

Well since already someone already blogged about “mashups” and how to implement youtube video in your blog post, I am kind of limited in what to write. That is why I took the liberty to find some useful tips before starting this course.
First as we all know we need the book, and the good news about it is that it is really cheap. I searched through the various websites to buy it and found out that one of the cheapest place is amazon. So if you still do not know the book we need or where to find it here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Ajax-Rebecca-Riordan/dp/0596515782/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252673493&sr=8-1. It seems that it runs for $12, which is great because all of my other books coast over a $100 each.
Some of you may find that interesting, but I kind of like one tutorial website, that helped me through my associate’s degree in software engineering. They have information on every web developing language that there is, so it is really cool. They have tutorials on AJAX as well, so I am sure some of you may find that helpful. The link is http://www.w3schools.com
Youtube is loaded with tutorials for AJAX as well.