Ajax.

For the hard-pressed CIO, spending time getting to know the latest Internet buzzwords can seem like precious minutes wasted. The Internet is awash with technologies claiming to be the next big thing. Even so, there are developments that cry out for attention.

One possibility is Ajax. Not to be confused with ancient Greek warriors or household cleaners, Ajax is short for asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It is a group of technologies rather than a single entity and was first coined in February 2005 by Jesse James Garrett, co-founder of Californian consultancy Adaptive Path, who says Ajax "represents a fundamental shift in what's possible on the Web".

In essence Ajax acts as a layer between users and web servers. Typically a click on a web page prompts an HTTP call to a remote server, which crunches some data while the user waits, then sends back a new page. With Ajax, an engine is loaded with the web page to sit between user and server. XML fetches data behind the scenes, while JavaScript renders the application independent of interaction with the server. The effect is that pages become more dynamic.

Google's maps and email service are recent high-profile (and consumer-focused) implementations. But Ajax has far-reaching applications within the enterprise: hosted applications could potentially become far more respons-ive. Indeed, Microsoft claims it invented Ajax with Outlook Web Access in 1998.

The technologies underpinning Ajax - such as cascading style sheets (CSS) and dynamic HTML - are actually quite old; indeed their maturity gives these applications a stronger foundation, as they are built into modern browsers. "What's new is the prominent use of these techniques in real-world applications to change the fundamental interaction model of the web," says Garrett.