Here’s one library that’s pretty nice: PAJAJ - they have some slick demos.

HTML_AJAX had its first PEAR release today. Its the same version as was voted on so there is no new code but you can use the PEAR installer to get it.

I’ve started a basic website for the project, it includes a development roadmap, so if you want to help out, or just want to know whats happening next thats a great place to start.

Not only have we returned from a long tech tour talking with numerous individuals about the new client-service model that’s evolving; but we’re getting ready with some fresh AJAX postings as a result. A lot of folks still aren’t sure that they want to let companies like sForce.com run thier CRM. They just plain don’t like the idea of someone else having access to their data. Their concerns, in most cases, are legitimate.

This applies to the AJAX Client-Service type of thinking acutely. Of the hundreds of people we’ve talked, they all want a Reverse Hosting Model. They want someone to serve up the UI, and do a middle-tier set of rules that stores and fetches data from the Organization’s facility. Where the data servers are under the direct control of the Organization’s IT staff. It sounds a bit complicated at first, but it makes total sense! Let the hosting company run the rules and serve up UI, let the leasing Organiztion baby-sit their database server.

Compressed XML (or tokenized XML) is a big part of this puzzle. Moving data in a standardized method quickly and flexibly is step one. Delivering a user friendly, application style UI is step two.

More mistakes from from the infamous Alex. While obvious, it is important to articulate these truths so that even the most basic code writer or copy-n-paster will follow this wisdom.

I’d like to note that there are several issues with AJAX, but also IMMENSE FLEXIBILTY!

For a lot of people, unless you’re building a GMail or Hotmail, it doesn’t matter if 100% of browsers dont’ work. Compat can get expensive. It requires lots of tests and lots of minor adjustments of your products/projects. So bear in mind, that you should make darn sure you understand the requirements of your users. If you’re on a corporate Intranet and everyone’s running Mac - it’s one story; however if everyone is running PC’s with IE only (due to SysAdmin bias against Firefox), that’s another story; and so on.

The best things about AJAX are the excitement in the community and getting everyone on the same page to help drive requirements! Microsoft and Mozilla (and others) need to hear from the web community! It is the web builders and web users that can force them to innovate once again. The other side of the coin: There are some postings from folks against AJAX. How could someone be against a technology? I want to ask these people, “Are you just mad because someone else got some notoriety for presenting a well thought out idea?”

Asynchronous Javascript and XML is about opportunity. And as my friend Alex re-iterates in his post “Use it wisely”

OpenAJAX Sample 3 works through some Event Handling. Mouse clicks - Right & Left; and Key Presses. Trying right-clicking on the body of the page, then try another right-click over the <input > element. Also if you press some keys, you’ll see the code and the character value displayed.

Here’s a little DHTML widget. It acts a little like a spreadsheet. There are some latency issues, but its still cool.

OpenAJAX.net is not just a blog. It’s and idea. The idea is to develop a common set of mechanisms; i.e., code, patterns, documentations, and standards when interacting Asynchronously with XML and two or more computers. Ultimately we start with Javascript and the web browser because that’s what is relevant today. Then we can move to something more interesting and sophisticated like a library for thick-client development using XUL/Chrome or Microsoft’s new technology.

Everyone has it in them to be brilliant and contribute in some capacity. If you feel like, if you want to, you should.

OpenAJAX = Beginning of Standardized AJAX.

Eventually it will happen anyways. Why not do it now? It would be really cool to get a set of code together that will end up in the Apache project. Don’t you think?

So if you search for ajax an ad came up saying

Ajax/Javascript @ A9.com
Ajax and Javascript software gurus!
Help us build our next big thing.
join.a9.com

So if you’re a wizard at this stuff and looking for work, check’em out.

I’d like to pose two questions to the OpenAJAX community:

• What does the world need from an AJAX framework?
• What does the world want from an AJAX famework?

These are two very tough questions. The people I’ve been speaking to have a laundry list of features, however; the feature lists differ based on the application being built.

To start with, here’s a simple list to serve as a jumping off point:

1. Dynamically extendible framework
2. Solid Error handling
3. Small browser footprint
4. Compatibility, Compatibility, Compatibility
5. i18n
6. Bind to UI elements easily
7. Flexible Server side framework
8. Extensible Server side components/controls

So, what are your thoughts?

- Charles

Welcome to OpenAJAX. I am pleased to introduce to you a forum for sharing your ideas, thoughts, and code (if you want) on Asynchronous Javascript And XML.

The Purpose:

1. To build a community of people who want to open up the AJAX style code that some web sites are using.
2. To develop a road map for how a software Client will properly interact with a Server when making Asynchronous XML requests
3. To develop an open source reference implementation for purpose 1 & 2

It is my sincere hope that people of the web will come together to work out the details of this beautiful technology.

Thanks in advance!

- Charles