Ajax / CSS / xHTML / Flash

What are these? In short:

  • Ajax for animation and speed (it's the new Flash)
  • CSS applies style information to your pages
  • xHTML contains your website content
  • Flash is for more complex animation, movies and sound

Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)

Ajax has recently become very popular amongst web developers. It allows portions of content to be changed / refreshed without having to navigate to another page, much like a flash website, but Ajax combined with Javascript libraries such as script.aculo.us or mootools for their effects and seamless integration can produce stunning results. For example; check out Destination Organic - drag & drop online shop.

If you are viewing this website on a reasonably recent browser, then you are witnessing Ajax in action.

CSS & xHTML

These 2 technologies along with RSS and XML form core of what everyone is raving about, Web 2.0.

CSS & xHTML are not particularly new technologies but are just starting to be used properly (by some developers).

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) allows you to completely seperate styling information for your content contained within xHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language). This technique reduces the need to reproduce styling information for every page by referencing an external CSS file, therefore increasing the speed of your website.

Flash

Because flash is not easily indexed by search engines, we do not produce websites built entirely using flash. We do however produce flash elements where appropriate or by client request.

Appropriate uses for flash:

  • Lightweight flash intros
  • Demonstrations
  • User initiated music / video players
  • Banner advertisements