AJAX EBOOKS

Ajax, shorthand for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is a web development technique for creating interactive web applications. The intent is to make web pages feel more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes, so that the entire web page does not have to be reloaded each time the user makes a change. This is meant to increase the web page's interactivity, speed, and usability.

The first use of the term in public was by Jesse James Garrett in February 2005[1]. Garrett thought of the term while in the shower[2], when he realized the need for a shorthand term to represent the suite of technologies he was proposing to a client[3].

Although the term "Ajax" was coined in 2005, most histories of the technologies that enable Ajax start a decade earlier with Microsoft's initiatives in developing Remote Scripting. Techniques for the asynchronous loading of content on an existing Web page without requiring a full reload date back as far as the IFRAME element type (introduced in Internet Explorer 3 in 1996) and the LAYER element type (introduced in Netscape 4 in 1997, abandoned during early development of Mozilla).

Both element types had a src attribute that could take any external URL, and by loading a page containing JavaScript that manipulated the parent page, Ajax-like effects could be attained. This set of client-side technologies was usually grouped together under the generic term of DHTML. Macromedia's Flash could also, from version 4, load XML and CSV files from a remote server without requiring a browser refresh.

Download links :
http://rapidshare.com/files/635052/For.Dummies.Ajax.For.Dummies.Feb.2006.pdf

http://rapidshare.com/files/634468/OReilly.Ajax.Design.Patterns.Jun.200620060720051708.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/633199/OReilly.Ajax.Hacks.Tips.and.Tools.for.Creating.Responsive.Web.Sites.Mar.2006.chm

Google Docs and Spreadsheets

Google Docs: Spreadsheets, Writely on the Web

Google Docs & Spreadsheets Services Ready for Use

Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a Web-based word processor and spreadsheet application offered by Google. It allows users to create and edit documents and spreadsheets online while collaborating in real-time with other users. Docs & Spreadsheets is the result of two services, Writely and Spreadsheets, and they were merged on October 10, 2006 into a single product.

Docs is a Web-based word-processing and spreadsheet that Google said is designed to make it easier for people to create, manage, and share documents and spreadsheets online.

Google Spreadsheets had been in beta testing since June. Back then, product manager Jonathan Rochelle told internetnews.com the product's "biggest wow feature" is the ability for multiple users to simultaneously edit spreadsheets and chat.

Rochelle said in time Google would add features to the product beyond its spreadsheet capabilities.

That time has arrived.

Now, with a Google Account, a compatible Web browser, and an Internet connection, users can export and import a wider variety of file formats. There's now an option to publish the documents to a blog or as an HTML page, too.

Google Docs is available as a free beta starting today at this Web site.

Microsoft dominates the market for office productivity applications with its Office software suite. Google isn't the first to challenge Microsoft. In fact, there are other online spreadsheets designed to facilitate collaboration, such as JotSpot Tracker.

Google said it intends for its product to complement existing solutions by adding its collaboration and document-management features to the productivity options people already enjoy.

But when Google Spreadsheets came out in beta last summer, Microsoft withheld enthusiasm.

"Google's new spreadsheet product is just an imitation of functionality that many other vendors already deliver," Microsoft spokesperson Heather Gillissen told internetnews.com then.

"The innovations we're delivering in Excel in terms of new usability, new visual user interface advancements, support for collaboration and business intelligence with things like Excel Services are so far beyond "Google Spreadsheets" that it's like watching a time machine from 10 years ago."

- Nicholas Carlson's Article (http://www.winplanet.com) internetnews.com / wikipedia.com

What is XAML?

- http://www.xaml.net/

XAML - Extensible Application Markup Language
pronounced as "zammel"

XAML is a declarative XML-based language that defines objects and their properties in XML. XAML syntax focuses upon defining the UI (user interface) for the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and is therefore separate from the application code behind it.
Although XAML is presently for use on the Windows platform, the WPF/E (Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere) initiative will eventually bring XAML to other platforms and devices.
XAML syntax describes objects, properties and their relationships to one another. Generic XAML syntax defines the relationship between objects and children. Properties can be set as attributes or by using 'period notation' to specify the object as a property of its parent.
For example:









Things You Should Know About XAML

Sometimes, XAML and WPF are used interchangeably ... they do go hand-in-hand, but they are not the same. XAML is a type of XML-based markup. WPF is a graphics API.

XAML is different from SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). According to the W3C’s definition of SVG, it is "a platform for two-dimensional graphics ... (with) two parts: an XML-based file format and a programming API for graphical applications." While XAML is an XML-based file format, it is not an API. XAML also supports things like 3D and controls, which SVG does not.

One great benefit of XAML is that it helps to separate design and development, which actually helps to improve collaboration and efficiency between designers and software developers. As the XAML markup for an application's UI remains separate from the remainder of application logic, a designer's exact layout can be saved in XAML and combined with the application without affecting the development process.

XAML documents are saved as .xaml files.