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Ajax: The verdict

Posted Mar 10th 2005 4:22PM by Michael Moncur

The other day I asked for feedback on whether to use the name AJAX to refer to JavaScript applications that use XMLHttpRequest (or something like it) to create a rich UI or bring instant updates to a page. The response was very entertaining! It's the first post here to reach 20 comments. Who knew I even had 20 readers?

Here's a tally of the votes I received for the various potential names. (If you said something positive about a name, I counted it as a vote, so some comments counted as more than one vote.)

  • Ajax … 3

  • Remote Scripting … 6

  • CADEX  ... 2

  • XMLHttpRequest … 1

Clearly, there's some reluctance to slap a catchy term like "Ajax" onto this technology at this point. I was also surprised at how many comments suggested their own alternate name for the technology. There were many creative suggestions:

  • AXES

  • AIRES

  • RISE

  • XHR (short for XMLHttpRequest)

  • jsRIA (JavaScript Rich Internet Application)

  • Single Page Interface

  • RIJEL

  • JAXAS

  • Live Updating

  • Bob

  • Fred

Thanks to everyone who voted or commented! After careful consideration of the voting and the alternate names, I've decided I'm going to avoid the term "Ajax" unless I'm linking to an article that uses that name, and I'm going to refer to the technology in general as "Fred".

Er, I mean "Remote Scripting".

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. Thank you. Now please get slashdotted somehow. :)

Posted at 5:49AM on Dec 19th 2005 by brian

2. At least it must contain an X. X is THE buzz-letter nowadays and no application can go without it ;)

Posted at 5:49AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Ricco

3. Thank you. I've always considered that Ajax article to be smacking of a grab for free publicity.

Posted at 5:49AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Justin

4. We were using "Steve" at our office before the name "Ajax" came out. We also thought of XHR which we felt not fun to pronounced.... So we just randomly picked "Steve".

When the name "Ajax" came out, we just agreed on using something that could be the standard... now that there is a controversy, we will just randomly call it either "Steve" or "You know, ... the thing"

L

Mat

Posted at 5:49AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Mathieu

5. http://h3h.net/2005/03/boo-ajax-promote-xap/

Posted at 5:49AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Brad

6. Remote scripting, hm, that's what the Apple articles were calling it three years ago -- and it didn't stick. There is also the technicality that the scripting itself isn't actually remote, it's happening on the client, but the important thing is that "ajax" seems to stick and "remote scripting" has failed. God knows why. Go figure people.

"X" related names are not good for all the reasons AJAX is not good -- namely, it prescribes the use of certain tools (XMLHttpRequest) when actually describing an effect (ohmygod the page just altered itself!). This will lock you up into a stone age as soon as a better tool comes along.

I like "Fred" or "Steve", names that are obviously abstract, but your google searches for it are going to be tricky. I'm pretty sure that "ajax", whether Jesse thought about it or not, is succeeding because it's pronounceable, spellable, and most importantly, googleable.

I had a post about this same thing, but in the end, who cares, really. It's a word. Does anyone remember what "radar" stands for? If you treat Ajax as an acronym, you'll only end up reliant on current XMLHttpRequest tech, and misdefining "asynchronous".

Posted at 5:49AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Travis Wilson

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