As far as web interface design techniques are concerned, AJAX is definitely the way to go. So, what JavaScript library worth its salt these days wouldn't want to include a component dedicated to this extremely useful and versatile method of client/server communication?
The term AJAX has been part of the mainstream development community's vocabulary since early 2005 (with the advent of Google Mail). However, some of the key components that AJAX consists of, such as the XMLHttpRequest
object, have been around for much longer (almost a decade in fact). The goal of asynchronously loading additional data after a web page has rendered is also not a new concept or requirement.
Yet AJAX reinvented existing technologies as something new and exciting, and paved the way to a better, more attractive, and interactive Web (sometimes referred to loosely as Web 2.0) where web applications feel much more like desktop applications.
AJAX can also perhaps be viewed as the godfather...