Ajax and Web 2.0 development

With the growth of Internet a better user experience was needed for websites to offer. Clicking on links and waiting for pages to load was too slow. Eventually web pages evolved into RIA (Rich Internet Applications) - an approach bringing web sites closer to desktop application, rather than set of documents with links between them. It makes a different level of interaction possible - user no longer clicks on link, and waits for the page to open up. The pages now have dynamic controls with popping windows, menus, context menus, dynamically refreshing content and so on. 

One of the common RIA technologies is Ajax. Its primary benefit, compared to Flash/Flex, Java or Silverlight is that it runs on every computer. Users don't need to download additional browser addons to view the content, because Ajax is based on JavaScript, which is integrated in the browser.

Ajax can be used in two primary ways: to enhance existing website with (for example) a live data from your twitter account, in-browser support chat, video widgets, gadgets, etc. On the other hand we have complete RIAs - applications built from bottom up like desktop applications. They are usually fitted within single web page, so that user never reloads it. Such applications usually have menus, windows, things can be dragged and dropped around, etc.

The term "Web 2.0" refers to something more than RIA. In fact it has nothing to do with technologies like Ajax or Flash, but in time the two things got mixed up a lot. The label Web 2.0 actually means "user-generated content". YouTube, MySpace, blogs, etc are examples of user-generated content sites - you can upload videos, write postings, create a community of readers and even make money out of this.

How does Web 2.0 and Ajax affect your company website? In lots of ways. Now it is usual for a company to have twitter account, blog, Facebook profile or upload the latest product commercial on YouTube.

Webster Solutions offers expert Ajax development. We have specialists with years of experience in building Web 2.0 Rich Internet Applications as well as developing Ajax-powered gadgets for ordinary websites.