Evaluation and comparison of ajax frameworks regarding applicability, productivity and technical limitations

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Trend to Rich Internet Applications
  • 2.1. What is a Rich Internet Application?
  • 2.2. Architectural Overview of RIAS
  • 2.3. Advantages and Disadvantages of RIAS
• 3. Technologies for Rich Internet Applications
  • 3.1. Silverlight
  • 3.2. Java/JavaFX
    • 3.2.1. JavaFX
  • 3.3. Flash/Flex
  • 3.4. OpenLaszlo
  • 3.5. AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime)
  • 3.6. XUL
  • 3.7. Ajax
• 4. Ajax
  • 4.1. Technical Overview
  • 4.2. Pure Hype or real Business Value?
    • 4.2.1. Creating Business Value
    • 4.2.2. Time for Adoption
  • 4.3. Challenges of Ajax Adoption
  • 4.4. Types of Ajax Applications
  • 4.5. Levels of Ajax Adoption
• 5. Ajax Frameworks
  • 5.1. Requirements for Ajax Frameworks
  • 5.2. Ajax Frameworks Overview
  • 5.3. Popularity of Ajax Frameworks
  • 5.4. Categorization of Frameworks
    • 5.4.1. Classification according to the Level of Adoption
  • 5.5. Conclusion
• 6. Evaluation Procedure and Sample Application
  • 6.1. Description of the Sample Application
    • 6.1.1. Detailed Description of the Tracking System
    • 6.1.2. Application specific Requirements for the Ajax Frameworks
  • 6.2. Evaluation Procedure
    • 6.2.1. Selection Criteria for the Ajax Frameworks
    • 6.2.2. Selected Frameworks
    • 6.2.3. Evaluation Criteria
    • 6.2.4. Detailed Test Specification
• 7. Framework Evaluation
• 8. Further Issues and Outlook

Objectives and Key Themes

This master's thesis aims to compare three popular Ajax frameworks to aid in the technology selection process for projects. It does this by implementing a public transportation tracking system using each framework, evaluating their applicability, productivity, and technical limitations. The thesis also proposes a general approach for evaluating Ajax frameworks and highlights key considerations for initial Ajax implementation.

• Comparison of Ajax Frameworks
• Evaluation of Applicability, Productivity, and Technical Limitations
• Development of a General Framework Evaluation Approach
• Challenges and Considerations for Ajax Adoption
• Analysis of Trends in Ajax Development

Chapter Summaries

1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the topic of the thesis, focusing on the challenges of selecting appropriate Ajax frameworks for specific projects due to the rapidly increasing number of available options. It lays out the thesis's objective to compare three popular Ajax frameworks through the implementation of a real-world application.

2. The Trend to Rich Internet Applications: This chapter explores the rising popularity of Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), defining them, outlining their architecture, and discussing their advantages and disadvantages. It sets the stage for the subsequent chapters by contextualizing Ajax within the broader landscape of RIA technologies.

3. Technologies for Rich Internet Applications: This chapter provides an overview of various technologies used to build RIAs, including Silverlight, Java/JavaFX, Flash/Flex, OpenLaszlo, AIR, XUL, and Ajax. It serves as a comparative background, highlighting the diverse approaches to creating interactive web applications and positioning Ajax as one specific option amongst many.

4. Ajax: This chapter delves into the specifics of Ajax, providing a technical overview, discussing its business value and adoption challenges, categorizing different types of Ajax applications, and outlining various levels of Ajax adoption. It establishes a solid foundation for understanding the frameworks that are evaluated later in the thesis.

5. Ajax Frameworks: This chapter focuses on Ajax frameworks, outlining the requirements for such frameworks and providing an overview of numerous existing options. It analyzes the popularity of different frameworks and proposes a categorization scheme based on adoption levels. The chapter prepares the ground for the detailed evaluation of specific frameworks in the subsequent chapters.

6. Evaluation Procedure and Sample Application: This chapter describes the methodology employed for evaluating the chosen Ajax frameworks. It introduces the sample application—a public transportation tracking system—detailing its features and requirements. This section also lays out the selection criteria, evaluation metrics, and specific test specifications that will be used to assess each framework.

7. Framework Evaluation: This chapter presents the detailed evaluation of the selected Ajax frameworks (Adobe Spry, Google Web Toolkit, and ASP.NET Ajax). Each framework's implementation of the sample application is analyzed across a range of criteria, including general aspects, development company and community support, historical context, licensing costs, documentation, development productivity, generated traffic, client-side workload, application load and response times, and maintainability. The chapter provides a comprehensive comparison of the frameworks across these dimensions.

Keywords

Ajax, Ajax Frameworks, Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), Web Application Development, Framework Evaluation, Productivity, Applicability, Technical Limitations, Public Transportation Tracking System, Software Development, Google Web Toolkit, Adobe Spry, ASP.NET Ajax

Frequently Asked Questions: Evaluation of Ajax Frameworks for Rich Internet Applications

What is the main topic of this master's thesis?

This master's thesis focuses on comparing three popular Ajax frameworks to assist in the technology selection process for projects. It achieves this by implementing a public transportation tracking system using each framework and evaluating their applicability, productivity, and technical limitations. The thesis also develops a general approach for evaluating Ajax frameworks and highlights key considerations for initial Ajax implementation.

What Ajax frameworks were evaluated?

The thesis evaluates three popular Ajax frameworks: Adobe Spry, Google Web Toolkit, and ASP.NET Ajax.

What was the sample application used for the evaluation?

A public transportation tracking system was implemented using each of the three selected Ajax frameworks.

What criteria were used to evaluate the frameworks?

The evaluation criteria included general aspects, development company and community support, historical context, licensing costs, documentation, development productivity, generated traffic, client-side workload, application load and response times, and maintainability.

What are the key themes explored in the thesis?

Key themes include a comparison of Ajax frameworks, evaluation of applicability, productivity, and technical limitations, development of a general framework evaluation approach, challenges and considerations for Ajax adoption, and an analysis of trends in Ajax development.

What is the overall objective of the thesis?

The thesis aims to provide a structured approach for selecting appropriate Ajax frameworks for projects by comparing their strengths and weaknesses through practical implementation and rigorous evaluation.

What is a Rich Internet Application (RIA)?

The thesis defines and discusses RIAs, outlining their architecture and advantages/disadvantages. It places Ajax within the broader context of RIA technologies.

What other RIA technologies are discussed besides Ajax?

The thesis provides an overview of several RIA technologies, including Silverlight, Java/JavaFX, Flash/Flex, OpenLaszlo, AIR, XUL, and Ajax.

What are the challenges of Ajax adoption discussed in the thesis?

The thesis addresses challenges related to adopting Ajax, providing insights into overcoming these hurdles and maximizing its business value.

What is the structure of the thesis?

The thesis is structured with chapters covering an introduction, an overview of RIAs and relevant technologies, a deep dive into Ajax, an analysis of Ajax frameworks, the evaluation methodology and sample application, the framework evaluation results, and concluding remarks.

Where can I find a detailed description of the evaluation methodology?

Chapter 6 details the evaluation procedure, including selection criteria, evaluation metrics, and specific test specifications.

What are the key takeaways from the framework evaluation?

Chapter 7 presents a comprehensive comparison of the three frameworks across the defined evaluation criteria, allowing for a data-driven selection decision.

What are the keywords associated with this thesis?

Keywords include Ajax, Ajax Frameworks, Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), Web Application Development, Framework Evaluation, Productivity, Applicability, Technical Limitations, Public Transportation Tracking System, Software Development, Google Web Toolkit, Adobe Spry, and ASP.NET Ajax.