Microsoft makes AJAX technology available

Without further adieu, Microsoft released its ASP.Net AJAX 1.0 technology, formerly called Atlas, to the Web on Tuesday.

ASP.Net AJAX 1.0 enables Web developers to build AJAX-style (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) Web applications by integrating with the .Net Framework and the Microsoft platform. ASP.Net AJAX is a free framework for building interactive, personalized Web experiences. It functions with the Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, and Opera browsers.

Microsoft's AJAX offering first debuted in a preview version in October 2005, and another preview with a Go-Live license, was offered in March 2006. The Go-Live license enables live deployments of the technology.

"Since that timeframe, the team's been working very aggressively to deliver a fully supported 1.0 release as quickly as possible," said Keith Smith, Microsoft group product manager for the Web platform and tools team. A release candidate was offered last month as the prelude to today's general release.

The Microsoft AJAX library, featuring standard JavaScript code running on the browser, and the ASP.Net 2.0 AJAX Extensions, which are server-centric pieces to enable a drag-and-drop developer experience are included as part of ASP.net AJAX 1.0. In a related development, Microsoft on Tuesday is updating its ASP.Net AJAX Control Toolkit, which runs with ASP.Net AJAX 1.0 and features controls for advanced effects such as animation and auto-complete behavior.

Accessible here, ASP.Net AJAX 1.0 includes all features of previous versions plus enhanced training capabilities.

Developers using ASP.Net AJAX 1.0 can build interfaces with reusable AJAX components and enhance existing Web pages with AJAX controls. They also can access remote services and data from a browser without writing a lot of complicated script, Microsoft said. Additionally, developers can use the AJAX software with Visual Studio, but Visual Studio is not a requirement.

ASP.Net AJAX 1.0 will be included in the upcoming Orcas version of Visual Studio, but Microsoft has set no release date yet for Orcas.

ASP.Net 2.0 AJAX Extensions will be available under the Microsoft Reference License (Ms-RL) to enable developers to view code to aid with application debugging, maintenance, and interoperability. The reference license lets developers refer to source code, but it does not allow the code to be redistributed.

Microsoft contends users of ASP.Net AJAX get more business value from Web sites because they can deliver differentiated, relevant experiences to customers.

At the Microsoft TechEd 2006 conference in Boston last June, an official at a .Net consulting firm said Atlas had faced some difficulty in development. The Update Panel feature, for easily doing incremental page refreshes, was cited as having reliability problems.

But Smith said Update Panel is an included feature. "We have no reliability issues in our Update Panel, and if there are issues discovered, we offer full technical support," said Smith.