Ajax, Atlas and Avalon – Part 2

Published 23 January 06 04:50 PM | makif 

About: This is the second part in a series of posts about the present and future state of User Interface programming models and their applicability in various scenarios.

 

Hello Everyone,

 

This series of posts introduces the three programming models that in my opinion are going to occupy significant portion of current and future development in the world of user interfaces, I addressed AJAX in my last post and will be focusing on Atlas in the current one

 

What is Atlas?

 

Let me tell you what Atlas is not, Atlas is not Microsoft’s answer to AJAX, if you think that Atlas is Microsoft’s competing standard for AJAX, please read part one of this series. AJAX is a style of programming; Atlas is a set of client libraries and Web Server Controls and Web Services that allows you to realize advantages of AJAX while significantly reducing its complexity and development and maintenance pains. Please note that Atlas is not just another implementation of AJAX, Atlas is an evolution of ideas that form the core of AJAX style of programming

 

What are the key features of Atlas?

 

Atlas offers a set of client and server side components to the AJAX developers implementing Web applications using ASP.NET. The client side libraries provided with Atlas have the following key features:

 

1. Atlas libraries add object-oriented style of programming to JavaScript, such as a type system, data types, namespaces, events etc. Adding Object Orientation to JavaScript allows you to improve the quality, reusability and maintainability of the code.

 

2. Atlas libraries have capabilities for handling most of the browser compatibility issues so you do not have to write browser specific scripts

 

3. Atlas libraries include commonly used behaviors, including auto-completion, drag and drop, pop-ups, and mouse hovering as well as components that can be bound to data, which simplifies creating data-driven business applications. Implementing and maintaining these components yourself is a very significant investment of resources irrespective of whether you are using J2EE or .NET

 

4. Atlas libraries provide capabilities for handling remote procedure calls. The libraries manage the complexity of making asynchronous calls reducing a call to just a few lines of scripting code.

 

5. Atlas libraries enable you to create 'Atlas' components using declarative syntax

 

In terms of the server side components the key features that Atlas provides are as follows:

 

1. Atlas provides Web Server controls that generate client scripts needed for using Atlas features. These controls are useful if you already know server-side development well or if you do not want to create 'Atlas' client scripts manually.

 

2. Web services. These are ASP.NET Web services, such as ASP.NET profiles, that can add useful server-side features to an 'Atlas' application

 

Will I have to use Atlas if I am implementing AJAX style of programming with Microsoft technologies?

 

No you do not have to use Atlas to implement AJAX style of programming with Microsoft technologies, however, doing so will allow help you focus on spending your resources in resolving the business problem rather than spending time on the underlying plumbing for making a responsive web application. Not using Atlas will mean that you will be developing and maintaining some of the functionality provided through Atlas

 

Will I have to use AJAX and/or Atlas to program with ASP.NET in future?

 

No, using AJAX and/or Atlas is a choice, as my future posts will explain, AJAX and/or Atlas may not be the best solution for every situation, based on your particular needs and environment you can choose to leverage this mechanism or adopt a different strategy.

 

Conclusion

 

AJAX style of programming allows developers to add a layer of abstraction between the client UI and Web Server allowing for a better user experience for certain types of web applications. Atlas is an initiative by Microsoft that extends the AJAX style of programming, allowing you to produce more responsive Web Applications without spending significant resources in learning, developing and maintaining vanilla AJAX based applications.

 

Part 1: http://blogs.msdn.com/mohammadakif/archive/2006/01/14/512991.aspx

Part 3: http://blogs.msdn.com/mohammadakif/archive/2006/01/29/519008.aspx
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Comments

# Hasani said on January 23, 2006 5:01 PM:
will atlas work on IE only?
# Abbas said on January 24, 2006 6:08 AM:
It could have been helpful if you have provided offical Atlas link to avoid readers spending some time to search for it. I am not too sure if following is offical URL but it may help: http://msdn.microsoft.com/asp.net/info/future/default.aspx A similar URL at asp.net community: http://www.asp.net/default.aspx?tabindex=7&tabid=47
# makif said on January 24, 2006 1:29 PM:
Atlas will work with IE as well as other browsers like firefox that support javascript
# makif said on January 30, 2006 11:31 AM:
Good idea Abbass, You can find more information about Atlas at http://beta.asp.net/default.aspx?tabindex=9&tabid=47
# Paul Browne said on January 31, 2006 11:41 AM:
Comment on point 1:Atlas libraries add object-oriented style of programming to JavaScript

My understanding the Javascript (as implemented in both Internet Explorer and Firefox) was already an Object Orientated (OO) langugage with innovative features such as prototype-constructors.

The good news about this is that writing OO based javascript should work cross browswer without any additional downloads.
# Stephen said on March 10, 2006 11:25 AM:
Is Microsoft likely to charge us a fortune once a stable/final version is released? Reading the terms and conditions, it looks like Microsoft is poised to go through that route. Any idea of when a version that is stable enough to be deployed commercially is released? I got my developers to play around with the library and they think it’s pretty neat!
# Chris said on March 16, 2006 10:56 AM:
When you say 'cross browser' do you mean it works beautifully in IE, then in every other browser, degrade gracefully.  This is ussually how asp.net web controls behave.
# Wesley said on April 11, 2006 2:50 AM:
@ Chris: Can you give me an example of an ASP.Net 2.0 control which degrades gracefully allthough the browser does support the option??

Cheers,
Wes
# lizard said on April 11, 2006 3:17 AM:
I have put on test several products (including Atlas) but my choice for AJAX-like library is Anthem.Net. It works with .Net 1.1 & 2.0 and it cames with simple and easy readable source code.I found it very easy to add my own controls as I need them. Have you ever put your hands on it? Any comments?
# Samuel said on April 11, 2006 8:21 AM:
Is Atlas going to remain free to use?
# SK said on April 11, 2006 10:19 AM:
Isn't MSFT already charging a fortune for VS 2005. If you count the complete package SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition to utilize reporting services, and then VS2005 for ATLAS, I think overall it is a win-win deal for them.

Just my 2 cents.

SK
# Thomas Lewis said on April 11, 2006 4:16 PM:
Stephen, Atlas is free. The latest release includes a Go-Live license which allows you to use Atlas in a production environment.
# Deacon said on April 11, 2006 8:22 PM:
You forgot one point.  "What Ajax is not" ?  Ajax is not an innovative idea.  It is "Remote Scripting" Something the good ole boys at Microsoft has implemented since 1997.  Atlas is just a set of tools to make it easily to implement with Visual Studio.  It is in no way trying to compete with Ajax. After all, it would be competing with itself.
# John said on April 12, 2006 9:55 AM:
Chris, look at http://atlas.asp.net There is a video showing a task list that works greate in IE and Firefox.
# No Spin Architecture said on April 21, 2006 10:11 AM:
About: This is the first part in a series of posts about the present and future state of User Interface...
# No Spin Architecture : Ajax, Atlas and Avalon ??? Part 3 said on April 21, 2006 10:13 AM:
PingBack from http://blogs.msdn.com/mohammadakif/archive/2006/01/29/519008.aspx

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