Comments on: AJAX…62% good? http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/ A blog about our thoughts on entrepreneurship, teamwork, our services, the Web and anything we find interesting. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:27:46 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: eran http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/comment-page-1/#comment-680 eran Wed, 21 Jun 2006 06:58:02 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/new/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/#comment-680 as a freshbooks user, I can say yes, you doa good job with ajax usage, and it is all about usability for me. if it's cute, thats what we have flash for. I found a common distinction in usage is this: ajax for data display and manipulation, and flash for graphical displaying of data, especially vector images (charts, graphs, maps, etc) as this is not handled well by other apps. the only other use of flash MAY be in branding situations (eg. fashion website front end). I am business oriented in my day job, so I am often bothered by flash otherwise because of its generally low usability / high learning curve. Ajax on the other hand CAN (not necessarily) substantially increase usability in some cases where you would like a web-app to run like a desktop app--page reloads are painful many times, so if adding ajax makes it easier to use, then go for it. There is still great use for standard html output too of course; so go easy on the ajax cleanser and you might have a really polished app. as a freshbooks user, I can say yes, you doa good job with ajax usage, and it is all about usability for me. if it’s cute, thats what we have flash for. I found a common distinction in usage is this: ajax for data display and manipulation, and flash for graphical displaying of data, especially vector images (charts, graphs, maps, etc) as this is not handled well by other apps. the only other use of flash MAY be in branding situations (eg. fashion website front end). I am business oriented in my day job, so I am often bothered by flash otherwise because of its generally low usability / high learning curve. Ajax on the other hand CAN (not necessarily) substantially increase usability in some cases where you would like a web-app to run like a desktop app–page reloads are painful many times, so if adding ajax makes it easier to use, then go for it. There is still great use for standard html output too of course; so go easy on the ajax cleanser and you might have a really polished app.

]]> By: Alan http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/comment-page-1/#comment-453 Alan Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/new/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/#comment-453 "To further make the flash comparison: When someone finally adds a *SKIP* button on lengthy forms, then I'll be impressed =^)" “To further make the flash comparison: When someone finally adds a *SKIP* button on lengthy forms, then I'll be impressed =^)”

]]> By: Adrian http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/comment-page-1/#comment-452 Adrian Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/new/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/#comment-452 "AJAX and Flash have very different feelings and attitudes about them. Flash mostly was, and is, to get noticed, to impress people. As you said yourself, AJAX is really about not getting noticed, about getting the process of using the app to be as seamless and painless as possible. Eliminating all those clunky, time-consuming page reloads.<br /><br />It sounds much like Don Norman says about a good machine being an invisible machine. People want their tools to get out of the way and let them actually work.<br /><br />It's good to see the smaller Web 2.0 companies blazing the AJAX trail, not without a few overzealous excesses, of course. It'll be interesting to see how, when or even whether the two ecommerce dinosaurs, Amazon and eBay, implement it. Then we'll know AJAX has really come of age." “AJAX and Flash have very different feelings and attitudes about them. Flash mostly was, and is, to get noticed, to impress people. As you said yourself, AJAX is really about not getting noticed, about getting the process of using the app to be as seamless and painless as possible. Eliminating all those clunky, time-consuming page reloads.

It sounds much like Don Norman says about a good machine being an invisible machine. People want their tools to get out of the way and let them actually work.

It's good to see the smaller Web 2.0 companies blazing the AJAX trail, not without a few overzealous excesses, of course. It'll be interesting to see how, when or even whether the two ecommerce dinosaurs, Amazon and eBay, implement it. Then we'll know AJAX has really come of age.”

]]> By: Cameron Booth http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/comment-page-1/#comment-451 Cameron Booth Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/new/blog/2006/02/06/ajax62-good/#comment-451 "I think it's important to note a few things:<br /><br />- technologies themselves aren't "bad", it's the people who implement them that aren't doing the appropriate homework<br /><br />- Not all web projects are intended to be "highly usable". Though I personally feel that usability is very important, I think it's OK for other people to opt not to care about usability, for other reasons.<br /><br />That said, yes, I'd say Ajax is, maybe 70% good....and flash, well, 70% bad..wouldn't go so far as 99% because there are flash implementations out there that are well done." “I think it's important to note a few things:

- technologies themselves aren't "bad", it's the people who implement them that aren't doing the appropriate homework

- Not all web projects are intended to be "highly usable". Though I personally feel that usability is very important, I think it's OK for other people to opt not to care about usability, for other reasons.

That said, yes, I'd say Ajax is, maybe 70% good….and flash, well, 70% bad..wouldn't go so far as 99% because there are flash implementations out there that are well done.”

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