Professional Ajax, 2nd Edition

1.6. Who Is Using Ajax?

A number of commercial web sites use Ajax techniques to improve their user experience. These sites are really more like web applications than traditional brochureware web sites that just display information because you visit it to accomplish a specific goal. The following are some of the more well-known and well-executed web applications that use Ajax.

1.6.1. Google Suggest

One of the first examples that developers cite when talking about Ajax is Google Suggest (www.google.com/webhp?complete=1). The interface is simply a clone of the main Google interface, which prominently features a text box to enter search terms. Everything appears to be the same until you start typing in the textbox. As you type, Google Suggest requests suggestions from the server, showing you a drop-down list of search terms that you may be interested in. Each suggestion is displayed with a number of results available for the given term to help you decide (see Figure 1-2).

This simple client-server interaction is very powerful and effective without being obtrusive to the user. The interface is responsive beyond what you may have learned to expect from a web application; it updates no matter how quickly you type and, as with autocomplete features in desktop software, you can use the up and down arrows to highlight and select each item in the suggestions list. Although still in beta, expect to see this approach make its way into the main Google page eventually.

Figure 1.2. Figure 1-2 ...