Fashionable RPM

Many writers have compared the software industry ot the fashion industry, as both are driven by trends. Well the hottest trend right now in web application development is AJAX. GMail and the new Outlook Web interface are the probably the best examples of what this technology can deliver. AJAX isn't really new, it's just using some existing tools in innovative ways. At it's core is the previously little known XMLHTTPRequest. Essentially it lets the browser send and receive data from the server without refreshing the page. When used right, this allows developers to build a better experience for the user.

Wolf (RPM 3.6) will contain the first AJAX functionality in RPM. We're using it to update the new "In progress" status bars in the background. It's pretty slick, but this is just the first step. We've got some big plans for this technology, particularly with the new template building interface planned for Jupiter (RPM 4.0).