JavaScript and AJAX Explained
Creating Interactive Pages
Many web users like to be able to interact with a site without jumping through a bunch of hoops. JavaScript and AJAX allows you to let the visitor do just that.
What Is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a scripting language developed by Netscape to enable web authors to design and create interactive web pages. Although JavaScript shares many of the features and structures of the full Java language, it was developed independently and does not require any special knowledge to use, other than that of the language. JavaScript can interact with HTML elements, so will help web designers to add dynamic content to their sites. Javascript is an open language that anyone can use without license. JavaScript is endorsed by a large number of software companies and is supported by all later versions of Netscape and Microsoft, although Internet Explorer supports a subset known as JScript.
What is AJAX?
AJAX, which stands for "Asynchronous JavaScript and XML", is not strictly a new scripting language but a new way to use old standards. Using AJAX your JavaScript codes can interact directly with the server using the XMLHttpRequest object. With this object, the script can trade data with the server without reloading the page. This means that among other things, JavaScript can access and execute PHP scripts.
AJAX was essentially made popular in 2005 by Google with it's Google Suggest tool. The Google Suggest tool follows the same principle as our own Name Suggestion tool.
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