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I believe Google Maps invented AJAX. Google Docs I think was actually acquired, but it was definitely ahead of its time.

by hahajk 3y ago

mauricioc 3y ago
Microsoft invented Ajax/XMLHttpRequest for Outlook Web Access.
- magospietato 3y ago
  Microsoft invented XHR for use in Outlook Web Access. The Gmail/GMaps teams developed that technology into AJAX.
  - mauricioc 3y ago
    This makes it seem like they invented XHR and did nothing with it, but Outlook Web Access already used XHR for dynamic/asynchronous update of an email web interface context four years before Gmail. If your claim is that Google popularized the ideas behind Ajax, then I'll happily agree: The term Ajax was invented outside Google [0] to describe Gmail front-end inner workings. My first contact with Ajax-like technologies was certainly Gmail in 2004 and not OWA in 2000, so I am not denying the merits of popularization. But I think even saying Google "developed the technology into" Ajax is unfair to OWA, given that Microsoft was pushing the other components of Ajax for a lot longer as DHTML (which led to standardizing DOM [1]; document.all anyone?) and OWA used DHTML+XHR, which was at the time essentially a non-cross-browser version of Ajax (props to Mozilla for implementing a compatible version of XHR and shipping it as part of Mozilla 1.0 in 2002). I won't argue for Microsoft any further, though, because the "cross-browser" part is key. The fact that they invented and shipped these things in IE with no effort to standardize them (as part of their embrace, extend, extinguish approach) was a big headache for cross-browser compatibility. Google gets most of the credit for Ajax because web developers hated Microsoft's approach to the web at the time (for very good reason). It is interesting to compare Microsoft's behavior back then with Google's current approach of flooding standards bodies with (at times half-baked) proposals. [0] https://web.archive.org/web/20150910072359/http://adaptivepath.org/ideas/ajax-new-approach-web-applications/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150910072359/http://adaptivepa... [1] https://www.w3.org/DOM/faq.html#DHTML-DOM https://www.w3.org/DOM/faq.html#DHTML-DOM
yobbo 3y ago
The maps UX (zoomable infinite scrolling map) was implemented independently previously to maps, which was originally built by an australian start up (?) iirc before being acquired by google. The term "AJAX" was coined around 2005 though. Before XMLHttpRequest there were iframe hacks. Most early stuff didn't really work due to browser incompatibilities and bad security.
piva00 3y ago
Nope, I was using XmlHttpRequest back in 2003 (through ActiveX) for some intranet where clients used IE5. Might have popularised the concept but the technique predates GMaps for at least 3-4 years.
antonvs 3y ago
Aside from the fact that Google didn’t invent AJAX, it was trivial technology. It wasn’t some kind of amazing breakthrough, it was simply a workaround for explicitly designed limitations on prior technology. What AJAX did could trivially be done by any programmer with the ability to write networking code. It’s just that the browser environment placed artificial constraints on that. But anyway, Google didn’t even invent AJAX.

I believe Google Maps invented AJAX. Google Docs I think was actually acquired, but it was definitely ahead of its time.

by hahajk 3y ago

I believe Google Maps invented AJAX. Google Docs I think was actually acquired, but it was definitely ahead of its time.

mauricioc 3y ago

Microsoft invented Ajax/XMLHttpRequest for Outlook Web Access.

magospietato 3y ago
Microsoft invented XHR for use in Outlook Web Access. The Gmail/GMaps teams developed that technology into AJAX.
- mauricioc 3y ago
  This makes it seem like they invented XHR and did nothing with it, but Outlook Web Access already used XHR for dynamic/asynchronous update of an email web interface context four years before Gmail. If your claim is that Google popularized the ideas behind Ajax, then I'll happily agree: The term Ajax was invented outside Google [0] to describe Gmail front-end inner workings. My first contact with Ajax-like technologies was certainly Gmail in 2004 and not OWA in 2000, so I am not denying the merits of popularization. But I think even saying Google "developed the technology into" Ajax is unfair to OWA, given that Microsoft was pushing the other components of Ajax for a lot longer as DHTML (which led to standardizing DOM [1]; document.all anyone?) and OWA used DHTML+XHR, which was at the time essentially a non-cross-browser version of Ajax (props to Mozilla for implementing a compatible version of XHR and shipping it as part of Mozilla 1.0 in 2002). I won't argue for Microsoft any further, though, because the "cross-browser" part is key. The fact that they invented and shipped these things in IE with no effort to standardize them (as part of their embrace, extend, extinguish approach) was a big headache for cross-browser compatibility. Google gets most of the credit for Ajax because web developers hated Microsoft's approach to the web at the time (for very good reason). It is interesting to compare Microsoft's behavior back then with Google's current approach of flooding standards bodies with (at times half-baked) proposals. [0] https://web.archive.org/web/20150910072359/http://adaptivepath.org/ideas/ajax-new-approach-web-applications/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150910072359/http://adaptivepa... [1] https://www.w3.org/DOM/faq.html#DHTML-DOM https://www.w3.org/DOM/faq.html#DHTML-DOM

yobbo 3y ago

The maps UX (zoomable infinite scrolling map) was implemented independently previously to maps, which was originally built by an australian start up (?) iirc before being acquired by google. The term "AJAX" was coined around 2005 though. Before XMLHttpRequest there were iframe hacks. Most early stuff didn't really work due to browser incompatibilities and bad security.

piva00 3y ago

Nope, I was using XmlHttpRequest back in 2003 (through ActiveX) for some intranet where clients used IE5. Might have popularised the concept but the technique predates GMaps for at least 3-4 years.

antonvs 3y ago

Aside from the fact that Google didn’t invent AJAX, it was trivial technology. It wasn’t some kind of amazing breakthrough, it was simply a workaround for explicitly designed limitations on prior technology. What AJAX did could trivially be done by any programmer with the ability to write networking code. It’s just that the browser environment placed artificial constraints on that. But anyway, Google didn’t even invent AJAX.