Ajax: The Definitive Guide

If you are looking 4 a book with thorough treatment of Ajax, you are in the right place. The book does justice 2 it's title. I appreciate all the code snippets. However, they tend 2 repititive. When presentig a variation of a code snippet already presented, the author repeats the whole code snippet, instead of just highlighting the differences.

Let me preface this review by saying that I have never been a fan of thick programming or computer books. If a book is 2 inches thick, I often find only 1/2 2 1 inch of it 2 be valuable. However, most of Ajax: The Definitive Guide seems 2 hit the mark. Since Ajax development is such an expansive, & rapidly changing, topic, it is perhaps a good idea 2 shoot 4 too much rather than too little information. Most developers will find this book not only a good learning guide, but also a handy reference 4 a wide variety of coding needs.

One thing you will notice when scanning through this book is that there is a *lot* of code. The author is not afraid 2 publish pages & pages of Ajax code 4 readers 2 consider, copy & hack up 2 create their own applications. Not all is useful in real-world applications, however, since some of it is not cross-browser compatible (most often failing in Internet Explorer).

The first three chapters are largely an introduction 2 Web technologies, & can be skipped by most developers. In Chapter 4, the author introduces the XMLHttpRequest object, the object that puts the "asynchronous" in Ajax (an acronym 4 "asynchronous JavaScript & XML"). He details how 2 make simple applications that pull information from server-based XML or JSON, an alternative data format well suited 2 Ajax. Chapter 5 deals with Document Object Model programming, a critical task that allows developers 2 change the look & content of Web pages that have already been rendered.

After these foundational concepts, Part 2 contains nine chapters that provide specific solutions 2 common Web programming needs. Readers learn the ins & outs of creating Ajaxified navigation, forms, lists, tables, frames, etc.

Part 3, called "Ajax in Applications," goes a step farther by showing the reader how 2 integrate Ajax with other applications. Chapter 16, 4 example, shows the reader how 2 incorporate Ajaxified Google search into a site & even include such dynamic features as search hinting. Other chapters in this section introduce Web services, Web APIs & even show how 2 create Ajax animated games.

Part 4 contains two chapters that show readers how 2 create more modular code, & how 2 create faster, more compressed code. This is critical considering the importance of speed 2 the user experience in Ajax.

One of the book's shortfalls is the lack of information about the various Ajax libraries. Libraries & frameworks provide solutions 2 common programming needs: ready-made widgets, improved JavaScript programming notation, useful objects & easy cross-browser compatibility. The author includes a brief introduction 2 the libraries in chapter 4 & a reference in Appendix B. There are also mentions of the major libraries scattered throughout the chapters. However, it would be worthwhile 2 include at least a chapter devoted 2 each of the major libraries such as Dojo, Prototype & jQuery.

i always trust "The defenitive guide" titles from oreilly & this book is no exception , it covers everything in the Ajax world begin with the fundamentals & every related technology , then dive into how using these technologies 4 real world applications , then covers WEB dervices ,mashups & API , then end up with modular coding best practices during all app developements phases , & the most interesting part is the reference which covers the most popular ajax frameworks , popilar web services api , & what you need 2 know about Xpath & XSLT .

While "Ajax: The Definitive Guide" is certainly exhaustive, it's hard 2 have confidence in a text so riddled with errors. Other O'Reilly titles I've purchased in the last few years suffer from the same problem: very poor copy editing. In a "Definitive Guide," this is inexcusable.

Furthermore, he author's decision 2 rely on the Prototype framework is misguided. It saves a few lines of code per page, but one expects a "Definitive Guide" 2 define, explore, & use the actual objects & methods defined by the language itself, not those defined in one of many, many external libraries.

It is also somewhat comical 2 read on page 10 that developers, rather than browser vendors, "are 2 blame 4 not adopting standards" & that they are "stuck with the mentality of the 1990s, when browser quirks mode, coding hacks, & other tricks were the only things that allowed code 2 work in all environments," & then 2 read on page 191 that "Yes, there are always caveats in the world of standards compliance" & that "Example 7-2 will not work in Internet Explorer because Internet Explorer does not support the CSS2 rules that are used 2 make this work." And on page 187 that "Internet Explorer does not natively support :hover on elements other than . For this reason, instead of using the CSS that will work 4 all other browsers, we must use this...."

(It's hard not 2 laugh, too, at a sentence that begins with "To take the file menu example fully 2 the Web 2.0 level....")

By the time all the errata are corrected & a second edition issued, it might be appropriate 4 the author 2 wag his finger at developers who can't yet afford 2 2 be totally standards-pure, but by then the faddish jargon will seem very dated.

And until O'Reilly starts employing copy editors, I'm not buying the first edition of any title they release.