It's a floor cleaner! No, it's a client interface!

As noted in my previous post, there's been a lot of fuss lately around Ajax, the client interface engine and set of specifications. Loek Bakker just checked in regarding my recent post on Ajax, and it just so happens that he had assembled his own top-10 list of the top "Ajax myths."

Prominent on Loek's list is the myth that Ajax is based on standards. "If you like standards and claim to support open standards, then you definitely should not be involved in the Ajax thing, as Ajax relies on nonstandard capabilities prevalent in most, but not all, modern browsers."

Another myth shattered is the myth that Ajax is all about client-side technology.  "There is no such thing as a successful Ajax implementation without a solid server side implementation of the capabilities."  Likewise, Ajax is not about technology; it's about user experience.

Also on Loek's list is the myth that "Ajax is developer-driven." He points out that while developers like anything new and sexy, they may tire of having to work with different browsers and back ends. "The only good way to prevent chaos and disappointment here, is to rely as much on frameworks delivered by vendors/respected open source projects as possible, as generally speaking, these have been tuned, optimized and thoroughly tested."

Then there's the myth that Ajax is a Google project, not Microsoft.  "Both companies have embraced Ajax, and in fact they both have in common that they are not promoting the name Ajax much."