AJAX offers some relief, but already AJAX developers must make trade-offs. Few AJAX applications are device-neutral; they assume a GUI browser, a keyboard, a mouse. By comparison, even the presence of JavaScript is not a given in the "pure" Web 1.0 model. What's more, content delivered via AJAX applications is fragmentary and less structured than traditional Web pages. Web documents become amorphous constructs that change to reflect the whims of the end-user.
The next step along the continuum is exemplified by such products as Google Web Toolkit (GWT), which compiles entire Java applications down to JavaScript code, to be executed in the browser. At this point, the concept of the HTML document as the atomic unit of the Web virtually disappears. The only "document" is an executable program, and though the source code may be available for viewing, it's likely to be inscrutable even to experienced developers.
This trend reaches its utmost with content delivered for plug-ins, such as Flash or Microsoft Silverlight. Applications written for these platforms don't resemble HTML in the slightest. They are binary blobs, little different from executable programs built for a desktop OS. You cannot view the underlying code in its raw form. Though Google and Yahoo may be able to extract text data from those binaries, deep linking to specific items is impossible.
These distinctions invite important questions. Is it still the Web if it's not really hypertext? Is it still the Web if you can't navigate directly to specific content? Is it still the Web if the content can't be indexed and searched? Is it still the Web if you can only view the application on certain clients or devices? Is it still the Web if you can't view source?
Equally important, if today's RIAs no longer resemble what we would call the Web, then is shoehorning those applications into the Web's infrastructure really the right way to go? If application developers feel limited by the constraints of standards-compliant browser technologies, should they really be targeting their applications for the browser? Or is the problem that the client platforms simply aren't evolving fast enough to meet our needs? The debate on these issues is only just beginning.
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive InfoWorld Resource Alerts
29 Recommendations
