Comments on: Javascript is not ajax

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:33:01 +0000

AJAX is shorthand for asynchronous JavaScript and XML – says it all really!

Ajax is not a technology in itself, but a group of technologies. Ajax uses a combination of:

1. HTML and CSS for marking up and styling information.

2. The DOM accessed with JavaScript to dynamically display and interact with the information presented.

3. A method for exchanging data asynchronously between browser and server, thereby avoiding page reloads. The XMLHttpRequest (XHR) object is usually used, but sometimes an IFrame object or a dynamically added tag is used instead.

4. A format for the data sent to the browser. Common formats include XML, pre-formatted HTML, plain text, and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). This data could be created dynamically by some form of server-side scripting.

Note that JavaScript and XML are not actually required in order to implement AJAX!

By: Иван Иванов

Иван Иванов — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:20:29 +0000

Просто отлично – очень интересные мысли. Разжевано специально как будто бы для меня

By: BK

BK — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:52:56 +0000

simply said, AJAX is another buzz-word created to define something that existed for a long time but wasn’t “marketable”

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:37:53 +0000

Ganeshji, you’re right. Ajax is a combination of technologies but ajax is NOT a technology in itself. That’s what I meant.

By: Ganeshji Marwaha

Ganeshji Marwaha — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:30:41 +0000

Dan,

I completely agree that javascript is not ajax. I also agree that dhtml is not ajax. But at the same time i don’t agree that ajax is just the client-server communication. Ajax is a combination of client-server communication, dhtml and css to perform actions and display responses without page refreshes.

It is wrong to say that dhtml is ajax, but it is equally wrong to say that ajax is just xmlhttprequest.

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:49:01 +0000

It’s sad that a couple of months after jdanylko (first commenter), I have to do an article on the same subject. It proves that it is still not understood even if ajax is becoming older.

@Jim : I really like the “ajax is the new dhtml”. It should have been my article title.

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:18:25 +0000

oops. Sorry

By: Jim Plush

Jim Plush — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:03:48 +0000

frank, learn to read a joke. good lord.

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:08:24 +0000

No it isn’t. AJAX is only a way for a web page to communicate with a server without refreshing itself. It has nothing to do with DOM or client side animation.

By: Jim Plush

Jim Plush — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 17:40:17 +0000

ajax is the new dhtml