Web 2.0 sucks
Posted on 09 September 2006 (03:29 PM)
AJAX == Javascript!
I actually had someone telling me last week, how amazing he thought AJAX was. He referred to a Dutch website stuffed with slick animation, smooth transitions and whatnot. I told him, that's not AJAX, that's just Javascript.
According to my discussion partner, Javascript sucks. There is no cross-browser consistency in Javascript and it's a bitch to script Javascript.
It doesn't matter if this is true or not, it's still just Javascript.
I believe this is why buzz-words and the likes should be avoided like the plague. People hear something, people like the sound of it, people go with it. AJAX is nothing more than making a connection with either an XML-document or a server-side script through Javascript.
What's in a name?
Nothing's in a name. Of course not. But I think buzz-words like Web 2.0 make it easier for newbies to convert to the Dark Side. They want to learn AJAX, not Javascript and probably turn to some libary or framework that does all the dirty work for them. This way an increasing number of inexperienced developers enters the scene, with no knowledge of accessibility or usability.
I'm not saying everyone should know the specs by heart, but it's easier to follow a hype than to study accessibility, isn't it? And by making it a hype, more and more attention will be going to fancy schmancy webpages that can be dubbed "Web 2.0".
I have yet to encounter my first client who asks for a "Web 2.0 website" and I hope I never have to cater to such a request. All this doesn't mean I don't like animation, or AJAX, or anything other people tend to call "Web 2.0". I just think things should not be clouded by random buzz-words that put a lot of "fluff and hot air" into something that's otherwise just a brilliant new technique.
Filed under Industry and Culture
- ← previous article: Actionscript Animation Classes
- → next article: Altering JavascriptFlashGateway
Comments:
AJAX is just DHTML and the command XMLhttprequest. btw lol: http://msig.info/web2.PHP
this comment has been quoted by Harmen Janssen
Exactly :)
And in my opinion there's no need to lift it, "beyond Javascript", in a way.
this comment has been quoted by Alex Kraskramp
Since the creation of the first programming language, the 'scene' has been flooded with clueless newbies who declined to do any thinking at all.
But now I'm not being very contributive, am I? :shiny:
Remind to post a reply here soon.
Ok. The things you say about AJAX and ppl just liking, using it for the sake of it is kind of true i guess. AJAX could be the next flash-intros and starry backgrounds if everybody just uses it because of the cool effects. I personally haven't seen this much so i don't think we have to worry about that a lot. If you look at stuff like Google Maps for instance we actualy see very usefull sites done with AJAX.
I guess your article says pretty much the same as above, what i kind of miss though, or wonder if you thought about it, is a understanding of what web 2.0 *could* mean. buzzword or not, you can't deny nothings changing, people are using the internet in different ways since this term has been first used. i'm talking about social software, folksonomies(social tagging), blogging, a bigger number of users, lots of user generated content. etc.
that's what i think web 2.0 is. not just AJAX. and not a random buzz-word either.
think about this, cause "web 2.0 sucks, AJAX sucks" are getting buzzwords itself and for me it seems your kinda guilty of using it yourself.
might react in dutch next time ;).
this comment has been quoted by Harmen Janssen
You have some very true and valid points. The web and the way it's used is definitely changing. I, myself have made good use of AJAX, I will be the last one to deny it's benefits, but I just don't like the tagging of said subjects.
And of course, a lot of things that are dubbed "Web 2.0" nowadays are really interesting subjects. The danger, I think, lies in developers who don't want to learn the basics and just want "cool stuff".
And yes, "Web 2.0 sucks" is getting kind of buzzy indeed ;)
Thank you for the entertaining post! Couldn't agree more.
AJAX is an acronym and is only as valid as the developer designs it to be. The techniques involved with AJAX is what think makes the concept valuable. True, it's just DHTML, XML and Javascript, but it does bring the interface we as consumers are used to seeing on standard desktop systems just a little closer for the web. As a graphic designer, I know that I need to learn Javasript, XHTML, the use of XML, PHP, MySQL as well as Flashscript. I'm sure that list is not exhaustive. There's a terrible amount of information to learn, especially when you come from a print and interactive background, this just becomes one more thing to pile into this mix while all of our clients and users couldn't grasp the depth of what is required to get those "nifty" things to happen. I think what contributes to this is our (in general, the design and development community) lack of educating our clients. Another thing are the newbies who continue to enter the profession without complete knowledge as well as a willingness to do the work dirt cheap by using kiddyscripts just make it that much more difficult for everyone else.