Why ASP.NET AJAX? Part 2
In the second article, I wanted to talk about client object-models. In JavaScript currently, we do have the ability to do class development. However, the Microsoft framework provides extensions to this approach (that fit within the JavaScript development approach) to differentiate namespaces, enumerations, interfaces, events, properties, and some of the other constructs.
All of these existing contructs allow for the server to pass values to the client, along with exposing an object model similar to .NET on the client side. This means that AJAX server controls can have a client model that other controls or JavaScript code in ASP.NET pages can interact with.
Let's look at the client/server communcation capabilities as well. Because the client code can call a web service, its also possible to have the client code stream data and rerender its interface using that data, all without posting back. These capabilities already exist through the Sys.Services.AuthenticationService and Sys.Services.ProfileService. It's possible to login and log out a user, as well as extract their profile information, all on the client side.
The possibilities are endless, especially when Silverlight is thrown into the mix. More client development means a richer user experience, and to do this in a managed way means less coding effort to do so.