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AJAX Bringing Web 2.0 to Web Services

By Sophia Mayengbam

Web services and Web 2.0 interfaces are surging as a result of the rise in the use of Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), a key component on the Web 2.0 architecture. A survey conducted by Evans Data Corp. finds that close to half of developers surveyed say they are already working with AJAX or plan to do so in the coming year.

The study found the use of Representational State Transfer (REST) is rising as well. The Evans Data survey found a 37 percent increase in respondents implementing or considering REST, with one out of four surveyed saying that they are considering REST-Based Web Services as a simpler alternative to simple object access protocol (SOAP) based services.

"Consistent with the increasing adoption of web services we are also seeing the same for AJAX", stated John Andrews, President of Evans Data.

"This framework, now more than ever, is allowing developers the means to make web-based applications function more like desktop one," he adds.

Some examples of the use of AJAX, a web development technique for creating interactive web applications, are Orkut, Gmail, the latest beta version of Google Groups, Google Suggest, and Google Maps. And many other companies are following suit.

To name one advantage for the use of AJAX application - it skips the start-stop-start-stop nature of interaction on the Web by introducing an intermediary — an Ajax engine — between the user and the server. This allows the user’s interaction with the application to happen asynchronously, independent of communication with the server.

Evans data survey finds a growing trend in the reuse of services. It said three out of ten survey respondents are saying the ability to reuse the service is the greatest cost advantage to Web Services. The number of respondents sharing Web Services with two or more business units is up 20 percent since the last survey.

The study also finds Java platform adoption is poised for a significant growth despite rampant industry speculation to the contrary. Three out of four companies expect to be working with the Java Platform by next year, a 12% jump from current levels.


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