Two distinct paradigms of AJAX use have emerged in the last few years of AJAX
innovation. At one end of the spectrum, we see vast use of AJAX for enriching
Web pages - adding some interactive features on top of the basic model of an
HTML Web page. At the other end of the spectrum we've seen a growing set of
solutions that rival the features and functionality of desktop software -
full AJAX software applications.
Figure 1 and Figure 2 provide examples of both models in use at a couple of
the biggest brands on the Internet, Google and Yahoo. Google Suggest is an
example of using AJAX on a Web page to slightly enrich the experience of a
standard Web page. Google's FAQ document says "Just as E.T. needs to phone
home in order to get a spaceship to pick him up, Google Suggest ... (more)