Microsoft® ASP.NET and AJAX: Architecting Web Applications

Summary

AJAX burst into the Web world only a few years ago, and it’s revolutionizing the infrastructure of Web applications. Are ASP.NET and AJAX destined to remain separate things, to be combined only when you need them to be?

My (way too easy?) forecast is that in five years we’ll forget that there ever was a time when AJAX was just an option rather than the standard. AJAX is an "option" today for two main reasons. First, it’s a relatively new approach that is a true paradigm shift for mature and consolidated technologies. Second, applying AJAX is currently a bit expensive. However, five years from now AJAX will become a standard part of nearly all contemporary Web development tools. It might even become harder to build Web applications that ...