So, what's the DL on Ajax?

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hydroxide
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So, what's the DL on Ajax?

Post by hydroxide »

What is so great about AJAX? What kind of functionality does it have that others do not have? I was always under the impression that java is kinda not good. Could you achieve the same goals using something like Ruby on Rails in conjunction with other elements (like XML)? What's the downlow on it. Any opinions or experiences would be appreciated.
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TheMoose
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Post by TheMoose »

AJAX isn't Java, it's Javascript. It's a client-based language, and using it in this content is just a means to have updateable, dynamic content on the client's browser without having to send heavy requests to the server (heavy as in, the server doesn't have to return the entire contents of the page, just small bits of XML that is parsed in JS). It's good for when you want to update things on the page and you don't want to refresh the page.

I use it a lot for administrative pieces, like setting user accounts to active/inactive, auto-fill/suggest search boxes, etc. Google Suggest is an example of AJAX in action. Another would be http://www.live.com, or http://www.google.com/ig (personalized Google start page).
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hydroxide
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Post by hydroxide »

Could this same functionality be achieved with Ruby On Rails?
Roja
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Post by Roja »

hydroxide wrote:Could this same functionality be achieved with Ruby On Rails?
No. ROR is a server-side language, like PHP. AJAX (Asynch Javascript and XML) is client side.

Its power is that it allows server-side power, but with client-side speed.
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