Why all the different AJAX systems?

[docholiday]

It is beyond me why there are so many "codebase APIs" cropping up all over the place, heck even King Microshaft decided to put out a framework.

This isn't really what AJAX is supposed to be about - it is about enabling content developers to create fresh content without moving pages, and should be taken seriously.

It seems that everyone wants a band-aid system that has all the "gadgets and goodies" built into a package, but that still has to be highly customized, templated, tested, and has tons of code bloat.

Am I just blowing this out of proportion here, and if not, is there a real reason for all these tons of AJAX libraries now? I use simple prototype 1.4 and build everything off of its codebase.

I would love to hear pros and cons from anyone.

[weslinda]

Personally, I don't even know where to begin to get into the AJAX world, and I think all those various solutions popping up makes it more difficult.

I wish I could find a great resource that would keep up with the latest technologies and relay that info in a professional manner.

Of course, with all of the companies in my local area that aren't even on the web yet, I can't imagine having a big need for AJAX yet. It's hard to push Web 2.0 when some people haven't figured out 1.0 yet.

[stymiee]

You missed the point about Ajax and frameworks.

1) Ajax - allows you to update a page dynamically with server-side content without reloading the page

2) Frameworks - make working with Ajax easier

You do not need a framework to work with Ajax (I don't use one). They just exist to help make development faster.

[StevenRB]

Originally Posted by docholiday

It is beyond me why there are so many "codebase APIs" cropping up all over the place ... I use simple prototype 1.4 and build everything off of its codebase.

Hey, Doc ...

The fact that you are using Prototype sort of answers your own question :-)

If there was no need for *any* "framework," then everyone would just roll their own AJAX. The motiviation for developers of other frameworks is more or less similar to the developers of Prototype. Who's to say who's 'best'?

Like stymiee says, you can work without any third-party libraries: develop your own and apply them across your own projects. But you're already on the third-party path.

Frequently, server-side programming languages beg a different approach to such frameworks. So, someone working in PHP, ASP/.Net, JSP, Perl ... whatever ... will be looking for ways to encapsulate AJAX routines into their language of choice.

The more the merrier, I say!

[philscanlan]

AJAX is incredibly simple. It's just working with a couple of DOMs.

framework schmamework.