Not too long ago, I was interviewed by Jennifer deJong of Software Development Times about Ajax, its use and misuse. We had a great conversation about Ajax’s early missteps and how things have evolved in the past couple of years. One of the main points I wanted to be clear on, as I try to be whenever possible, is that Ajax is not a feature. You should never be saying, “how can we use Ajax?” You should be designing the best user experience possible and if Ajax helps with that goal, then use it.

My thoughts, along with a host of other industry experts, are summarized and tied together nicely in Jennifer’s article, All Sizzle and No Substance?. There’s a lot of good perspectives on Ajax pain points as well as what to do and avoid.

Disclaimer: Any viewpoints and opinions expressed in this article are those of Nicholas C. Zakas and do not, in any way, reflect those of my employer, my colleagues, Wrox Publishing, O'Reilly Publishing, or anyone else. I speak only for myself, not for them.