[K12OSN] AJAX and users

[Luis Montes]

If the majority of the page's contents are replaced, the user rightfully 
assumes that a new page has been loaded.
That's an ajax-based navigation, and it's a bad use of the technology.

There are plenty of useful things you can do with ajax that can enhance 
a web site.
For example, a quick database-backed lookup for a form textfield. That 
can potentially make the user experience better when filling out a form 
without the need to dump a large amount of data into a select box or 
javascript array, or forcing a popup window.
Further, the dynamically generated XML response doesn't need to be 
overly verbose, and can likely be a much smaller amount of data to transfer.

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I was just disagreeing with the widely 
held misconception of an inherent back-button problem for all things ajax.
Ajax doesn't break the back-button, bad programming breaks the back-button.

Luis




Huck wrote:
> It isn't a matter of 'building their site navigation'... it's what the 
> average user EXPECTS to happen when they hit the back button...
>
> They EXPECT to see the previous page-view, they think Ajax is an 
> industrial strength cleanser for kitchens, and have no clue as to what 
> is actually HAPPENING behind the scenes..they just know on every 
> 'normal' website out there, you hit the back button and you see your 
> previously viewed page(s).
>
> --Huck
>
> Luis Montes wrote:
>> There is no back button issue.  Ajax doesn't break the back button 
>> any more than flash does.
>>
>> If someone is crazy enough to build their site's navigation out of 
>> flash or ajax or a java applet, then sure, the back button will seem 
>> broken. That is merely a symptom of bad programming, not the 
>> technology used.
>>
>> Luis
>>
>>
>>
>> Dan Eliot wrote:
>>>
>>> If AJAX is going to become important to the average user, then somebody
>>> either needs to FIX the back button issue or GREY OUT the back 
>>> button when
>>> the user visits an AJAX rich page.  Just watch, some browser maker will
>>> solve this issue one way or another within the next year.
>>>