I don't dislike "AJAX", though I do dislike the name. The problem with it is usage, which is all too frequently atrocious. Because AJAX is a current buzzword in Web development, there seems to be this imperative to use it for any purpose, rather than because there's any tangible benefit. There are also cases where it's used in preference to any equal and better-supported approach. For instance, using AJAX instead of frames, or simply reloading the document. Both are almost always a better option (despite the problems with frames), yet AJAX is used instead because "it's cool".
What is "a XML heirarchy"? That's not a phrase that really means anything. If I had to guess, I'd say that you're referring to XML well-formedness requirements. However, there's nothing stopping an author from writing decent HTML (though a look at much of the Web might suggest otherwise).
As for using style sheets, any document written in the past several years should be using CSS to suggest presentation. There's no special relationship to XHTML at all.
So, it's a website, then? :rolleyes:Quote:
Basically I have designed a number of user interfaces that interact with my databases and return information back to the users web browser.
The overhead from reloading a document is minimal. A few kilobytes in a well-authored document. As you would need to provide a script-less fall back anyway, the effort seems wasted.Quote:
My idea with incorporating AJAX was to reduce the number of page reloads and speed-up the content delivery.
Using "AJAX" entails waiting for a complete response before rendering begins. HTML can be rendered incrementally. The total number of bytes may be increased, but it's perceptually faster. Loading content via "AJAX" also disables several interface features, such as the Back button and the ability to bookmark content. It's not a worthwhile trade-off, in my opinion.
Mike

