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Real-World AJAX

There's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise
By David Linthicum
Article Rating:
February 19, 2007 04:15 PM EST
Reads:
 70,320

Enterprise AJAX Tools
While AJAX is a relatively new notion to the Web, and the enterprise, there are a few enterprise tools that are beginning to appear. The most promising are Microsoft's Atlas and Tibco's General Interface. Let's take a quick look at each one.

Microsoft Atlas is a new Web development technology that integrates client script libraries with the ASP.NET 2.0 server-based development framework. Atlas offers the same kind of development platform for client-based Web pages that ASP.NET offers for server-based pages (See Figure 4).

Atlas makes it possible to take advantage of AJAX techniques on the Web and enables you create ASP.NET pages with a rich client and server communication. Atlas isn't just for ASP.NET. You can take advantage of the rich client framework to build client-centric Web apps that integrate with any backend data provider, including data services.

TIBCO General Interface provides developers with drag-and-drop visual authoring tools for standard XML and XSD, SOAP, and WSDL communications, as well as HTTP/S GET and POST operations. General Interface users have access to TIBCO's General Interface Developer Community, an online resource. Also, by using its add-in architecture, TIBCO General Interface lets additional third-party packages plug into TIBCO General Interface (See Figure 5)

General Interface works with existing browser capabilities, letting users get a full-featured application instantly from a URL. The product claims to reduce development time and cost by using familiar APIs, visual authoring tools, step-through debugging, and extensible, reusable components. The visual tools are themselves a Web-based application powered by General Interface using AJAX in Internet Explorer.

Summary
AJAX is a mere instance of a rich client interface for both SOA and the enterprise. It's the momentum behind AJAX that will insure its place in most enterprises looking to employ rich clients, which are most enterprise-class businesses. However, this technology isn't always a slam-dunk. You must first address your requirements before leveraging AJAX or, for that matter, any other technology.

At the end of the day, AJAX is just another part of the SOA solution and it needs to exist with other robust technologies that solve the problems at hand. Therefore, you must consider using AJAX holistically and in the context of other enabling technologies, standards, and the ultimate architecture.

Unlike traditional application development, where the database and application are designed, SOAs are as unique as snowflakes. When all is said and done, no two will be alike. However, as time goes on, common patterns emerge that let us share best practices when creating an SOA. We still need to travel further down the road before we can see the whole picture.

Published February 19, 2007 – Reads 70,320
Copyright © 2007 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
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More Stories By David Linthicum

Dave is an internationally known cloud computing and SOA expert. He is a sought-after consultant, speaker, and blogger. In his career, Dave has formed or enhanced many of the ideas behind modern distributed computing including EAI, B2B Application Integration, and SOA, approaches and technologies in wide use today.In addition, Dave is the Editor-in-Chief of SYS-CON's Virtualization Journal. For the last 10 years, he has focused on the technology and strategies around cloud computing, including working with several cloud computing startups. His industry experience includes tenure as CTO and CEO of several successful software and cloud computing companies, and upper-level management positions in Fortune 500 companies. In addition, he was an associate professor of computer science for eight years, and continues to lecture at major technical colleges and universities, including University of Virginia and Arizona State University. He keynotes at many leading technology conferences, and has several well-read columns and blogs. Linthicum has authored 10 books, including the ground-breaking "Enterprise Application Integration" and "B2B Application Integration." You can reach him at david@bluemountainlabs.com. Or follow him on Twitter. Or view his profile on LinkedIn.

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Most Recent Comments
AJAXWorld News Desk 10/22/06 09:40:08 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
SYS-CON Italy News Desk 10/22/06 09:23:07 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
AJAXWorld News Desk 10/22/06 05:49:03 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
j j 09/28/06 08:45:16 AM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
j j 09/27/06 07:42:46 PM EDT

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j j 09/27/06 06:43:50 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
j j 09/20/06 08:53:17 AM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
j j 09/19/06 06:14:25 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
j j 09/19/06 03:45:44 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
j j 09/19/06 03:31:17 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
j j 09/19/06 03:22:39 PM EDT

David Linthicum On the Enterprise Potential of AJAX
j j 09/19/06 02:52:35 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
n d 09/18/06 04:32:00 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
n d 09/18/06 03:38:01 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
n d
n d 09/18/06 02:18:17 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
AJAXWorld News Desk 08/15/06 08:31:45 AM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
Upcoming Rails 1.2 08/12/06 03:55:11 AM EDT

The simply_restful plugin has now been added to the core, taking advantage of some of the HTTP verbs. This is big news, especially for web services.

It seems that by Rails 1.3 all Ajax macros will be taken out of the core and moved to plugins. This makes a lot of sense because Ajax isn't a core functionality, it is a user interface enhancement.
web2worker 08/12/06 03:52:51 AM EDT

> AJAX is a mere instance of a rich client
> interface for both SOA and the enterprise. > It's the momentum behind AJAX that will
> insure its place in most enterprises
> looking to employ rich clients, which are
> most enterprise-class businesses. However, > this technology isn't always a slam-dunk.
> You must first address your requirements
> before leveraging AJAX or, for that matter,
> any other technology.

That is very succinct. Mr Linthicum is spot-on with this observation.
AJAXWorld News Desk 08/11/06 08:19:19 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
JDJ News Desk 08/11/06 06:56:33 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
AJAXWorld News Desk 08/11/06 06:15:45 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.
AJAXWorld News Desk 08/11/06 05:50:55 PM EDT

As we move to next-generation enterprise architectures using newer notions such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), there's a need for a dynamic Web interface that can layer over services and provide more value to the enterprise. Moreover, the enterprise in general can benefit from the advantages of AJAX; it's just a matter of making enterprise developers as well as the SOA architects aware of AJAX.