Elliot Swan

Using CSS, DOM, and AJAX to Create Websites That Function Like Applications 8:56 pm

As a web developer I have often envied those who get to create software such as operating systems–this type of functionality hasn’t been done well on the web. What if a website could be created that looked, felt, and functioned more like an application? Imagine the possibilities. Seriously, try to imagine them. Think of what could be done if we could take the functionality and interactivity that is currently common in non-web applications, and combine that with the even further interactivity and possibilities the web offers. That could equal some awesome website.

Server-side languages such as PHP and ASP.NET do allow for much interactivity, but since it’s server side it is limited to refreshing the page every time the user wants to do something new. Flash has been used to do this as well, but Flash applications tend to be 1) annoying and 2) not very search engine friendly.

However, using CSS (especially 2, and 3 once more of it is supported) and the DOM is becoming increasingly popular and can also be quite effective. And now with AJAX, I think we are well on our way to being able to develop websites that both look and function like an application.

Check out Jake Tracey’s use of AJAX on his sidebar. That’s just the beginning. If we combine things like that with all the other great technologies out there, I think we can actually start getting closer to creating websites that are able to have the functionality and interactivity of applications.