IBM pushes Dojo open source Ajax toolkit

Ajax allows developers to create interactive web applications

IBM has donated the intellectual property of a set of technologies to the open source community in an effort to increase the adoption of Ajax technologies. 

Big Blue plans to work with the Dojo open source JavaScript toolkit, expanding the application with support for building multi-language applications.

IBM will also help the application to meet the forthcoming Dynamic Web Content Accessibility specification being developed within the World Wide Web Consortium.

The Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax) technique allows developers to create interactive web applications.

A static webpage exchanges data only when a user clicks on a link or button. Java applications transmit data behind the scenes, making for more responsive and user-friendly online applications.

Popular examples of Java applications include Google's Gmail and the Flickr online photo-sharing application. 

Creating Ajax applications is considered an arduous task because of browser compatibility issues. Developer tools such as Dojo or the Google Web Toolkit aim to eliminate human errors by providing automation. 

"IBM's contributions are creating the foundation for even broader adoption of dynamic web interfaces, even for users that have not traditionally benefited from them," said Alex Russell, project lead for the Dojo Toolkit and president of the Dojo Foundation. 

"It is clear that IBM is serious about improving the lives of its users, and our community is excited to be a part of that."

Google released a Google Web Toolkit beta at the JavaOne conference last month. 

The tool allows developers to transform Java applications into Ajax code that can be embedded in a web page, eliminating the need for manual coding and browser compatibility testing.

The application has been released under the open source Apache 2.0 licence.