This book is the Web counterpart to another recently released book I co-authored with Andrea Saltarello: Microsoft .NET: Architecting Applications for the Enterprise (Microsoft Press, 2008). I wrote it, in part, in response to the many architectural questions—both small questions and big ones—that I was asked repeatedly while teaching ASP.NET, AJAX, and Silverlight classes.
Everybody in the industry is committed to AJAX. Everybody understands the impact of it. Everybody recognizes the enormous power that can be derived from its employment in real-world solutions.
Very few, though, know exactly how to make it happen. There are so many variations to AJAX and so many implementations that even after you have found one that suits your needs, you are left wondering whether that is the best possible option.
The fact is that AJAX triggered a chain reaction in the world of the Web. AJAX represents a change of paradigm for Web applications. And, as the history of science proves, a paradigm shift has always had a deep impact, especially in scenarios that were previously stable and consolidated.
I estimate that it will take about five years to absorb the word AJAX (and all of its background) into the new definition of the Web. And the clock started ticking about four years ago. The time at which we say "the Web" without feeling the need to specify whether it contains AJAX or not . . . well, that time is getting closer and closer. But it is not that time yet.
Tools and programming paradigms for AJAX, which were very blurry just a few years ago, are getting sharper every day. Whether we are talking about JavaScript libraries or suites of server controls, I feel that pragmatic architectures can be identified. You find them thoroughly discussed in Chapter 3, "AJAX Architectures."
Architecting a Web application today is mostly about deciding whether to prefer the richness of the solution over the reach of the solution. Silverlight and ASP.NET AJAX are the two platforms to choose from as long as you remain in the Microsoft ecosystem. But the rich vs. reach dilemma is a general one and transcends platforms and vendors. A neat answer to that dilemma puts you on the right track to developing your next-generation Web solution.
Who This Book Is For
I believe that this book is ideal reading for any professionals involved with the ASP.NET platform and who are willing or needing to find a solution that delivers a modern and rich user experience.
Book Details
- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Microsoft Press; 1 edition (April 15, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0735626219
- ISBN-13: 978-0735626218
- File Size: 1.8 MiB
- Hits: 3,354 times
