Kevin Hakman

Uh oh! Here comes yet another technology buzzword. This time it’s “AJAX”. In addition to being a household cleaner, a character from Greek mythology, and the name of a European soccer club, AJAX is Asynchronous communication, JavaScript, and XML. These technologies, which are already present in your browser, make it possible to retrieve information without refreshing a Web page. Citing Google’s use of AJAX, the Wall Street Journal noted recently that AJAX represents “a big step toward the Holy Grail of having the kinds of speed and responsiveness in Web-based programs that’s usually associated only with desktop software.”[1] And increasingly, developers, entrepreneurs, and industry analysts are grasping the opportunities that AJAX presents. So what’s all the excitement? The need and desire to provide richer functional... (more)

From Enriched HTML to Client/SOA: The Four Quantum States of AJAX

Today there is a spectrum of architectural approaches to AJAX solutions.  At the simple end of the spectrum HTML pages are becoming enriched with simple AJAX behaviors exemplified by the likes of Yahoo Maps, Google Suggest and a myriad of AJAX libraries and widgets that have been published.  However for more robust Rich Internet Applications (RIA) approaching the look, feel and behavior of desktop applications, a "Client/SOA" architectural approach offers many distinct advantages.  And then there's all the approaches in between.  Kevin Hakman, Co-founder of TIBCO General Interfac... (more)

A Simple Streaming AJAX App with OpenAjax Hub, TIBCO GI, and DWR 2.0

Follow along and implement the real-time streaming AJAX system in Figure 1 using two different AJAX toolkits and the OpenAjax Hub. Requirements The requirements for this solution are straightforward. For this application we need a ready-made data grid control that will display changes in prices to stocks when those changes occur. A nice-to-have would be visual indicators in the GUI that show when a cell value in the grid is increasing or decreasing...and, of course, we want to deploy this to just a standard Web browser, so we also must do this without any reliance on plug-ins, app... (more)

The Big Shift with AJAX and Web Service Bus Architectures

There have been numerous articles over the last year on how the complementary nature of AJAX and service-orientation together are rapidly transforming the way in which we design, architect, deploy, and manage applications. The ramifications of this change impact nearly every aspect of business application development, from design conception, architectural planning, and implementation to unit testing and monitoring. New methodologies, tools, and infrastructure are now emerging as the industry evolves from the three-tier system concepts that have dominated the last decade on the We... (more)

Get Smart

Smarter client technology is bringing a new class of Web service-powered applications to the desktop. Case in point: PhotoWorks Inc. is leveraging a common Web services infrastructure to power multiple sales channels. To date, standardizing and streamlining systems interoperability has been the central objective of Web services. And while the benefits of system-to-system interoperability are key to driving Web services adoption, a complementary trend in the advancement of client technology is enabling enterprises to bring a new class of applications to their customers, partners, a... (more)