Since Web 2.0 kicked off scarcely a day goes by without a headline targeting
mashups and their enablers, AJAX and Web Services, as the next hot Web
technologies. Mashups are Web sites that integrate a variety of services
(e.g., news feeds, weather reports, maps, and traffic conditions) in new and
interesting ways. Just take a look at Zillow.com, which provides instant home
valuations plotted as thumbtacks on a map (Figure 1), or HousingMaps.com,
which marks listings from craigslist.org as captions on a map, and you'll get
a clear picture of the power behind converging data sources.
Google Maps is often identified as the disruptive force that spawned the
mashups movement. The popular mapping service is now the home of more than
600 mashups according to ProgrammableWeb.com. Why the hype? Google Maps
provides a simple JavaScript API that makes geo-spatial data, a histor... (more)
AJAX has forever altered user expectations regarding the experience delivered
by the Web. In today’s world, users sit at the edge of their seat waiting
to see what scrumptious eye candy AJAX will serve them next. Some of the more
notable visual effects and desktop-like interactions include Prototype-esque
fades, Dojo style fisheyes, the near ubiquitous drag-and-drop, and, of
course, who can live without the entertainment provided by the assortment of
animated loading icons that now distract us while AJAX does its asynchronous
“thing.” Yes, it would appear that AJAX can do it a... (more)
In my previous article, "Enterprise Mashup Services: Real-World SOA or Web
2.0 Novelties?" (JDJ Vol. 11, Issue 12), I discussed how a Java-to-AJAX
library such as Direct Web Remoting (DWR) can bridge the gap between mashup
services implemented with JavaScript and business services written in Java,
allowing developers to blend corporate services with external services such
as Google Maps. The problem with this approach is that it relies on AJAX as
an integration point, which entails a fragile development platform as well as
the need to maintain browser-specific code due to idiosyn... (more)
AJAX has forever altered user expectations regarding the experience delivered
by the Web. In today's world, users sit at the edge of their seat waiting to
see what scrumptious eye candy AJAX will serve them next. Some of the more
notable visual effects and desktop-like interactions include Prototype-esque
fades, Dojo style fisheyes, the near ubiquitous drag-and-drop, and, of
course, who can live without the entertainment provided by the assortment of
animated loading icons that now distract us while AJAX does its asynchronous
"thing." Yes, it would appear that AJAX can do it all ... (more)
AJAX, with its asynchronous updates, enabled a richer user experience on the
Web. It accomplished this primarily by obscuring the latency issues that
brought a "clunk-ish" feel to traditional Web applications. More recently,
Comet reintroduced HTTP-based "push" communications to enable Web
applications with real-time events through a medium, namely JavaScript and a
variety of transports (e.g., long-polling, forever frames, XHR Streaming,
etc.), that is far more accessible than the "push" technologies of the late
'90s, and which further lessens latency concerns felt by end users, ... (more)
Ric Smith is director, business and product strategy at Kaazing. provides Kaazing Corporation with a wealth of experience in product management and consulting for enterprise products and services. Prior to joining Kaazing, Ric was a principal product manager for Oracle's Fusion Middleware at Oracle's Headquarters in Redwood Shores, CA. In his role as a Principal Product Manager he was responsible for the evangelism and product direction of Oracle's AJAX and Java EE Web Tier offerings. Before joining the Fusion Middleware team, Ric worked for Oracle's consulting business as a principal consultant where he led development of mission-critical applications for prominent organizations within the defense/intelligence industry. In addition, Ric won consecutive awards for technical achievement for each year of his tenure as a consultant. Ric is a frequent speaker at international events and has written articles featured in leading industry publications such as Java Developer's Journal and AJAXWorld Magazine. He is also a representative to the OpenAjax Alliance and an honors graduate of the University of Arizona.
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