Has the AJAX/Flash Tipping-Point Been Reached?

AJAX To Overtake Flash???

Oct. 7, 2006 08:15 AM

In a projection that comes on the heels of an AJAXWorld discussion of burgeoning security issues currently plaguing the AJAX model, a recent SitePoint and Ektron survey of Web professionals has suggested AJAX will soon surpass Flash as the predominant Web development model of choice.

A recent SitePoint and Ektron survey of Web professionals suggests AJAX will soon surpass Flash as the predominant Web development model of choice. Increases in expected Microsoft-based endeavors, however, make it difficult to predict a less proprietary-based Web development project pipeline for the future.

SitePoint and Ektron’s survey of 5,000 Web developers anticipates a significant surge in AJAX-based projects in the coming year, as 46 percent of respondents said they will tap the AJAX model for a project in the next 12 months, up from 30 percent this year. More intriguing is the suggestion of a tipping point in the Flash vs. AJAX debate. Whereas 40 percent of survey respondents are currently working on Flash-based efforts, only 28 percent anticipate undertaking a Flash development project in the next year. The projection comes on the heels of an AJAXWorld discussion of burgeoning security issues currently plaguing the AJAX model.

Usability, design, and search engine optimization figure prominently in the minds of surveyed developers, with more than half saying they would like to learn more about these development concerns in the coming year, on par with the to-be-expected No. 1 concern among Web developers: best practices.

Given the aforementioned AJAX/Flash tipping point, not surprisingly, 47 percent of Web developers surveyed wish there was more coverage of AJAX on the Web and in print, with desire for more resources for XHTML/CSS and PHP next in line, at 34 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

As far as the Next Big Thing on the Web, developers’ responses ranged from the intentionally absurb to the insightful, with one sneeringly projecting that a “mashed-up Web 2.0 web app oracle” will crop up to tell us “what the next big thing on the Web will be.“

About RIA News Desk
Ever since Google popularized a smarter, more responsive and interactive Web experience by using AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML) for its Google Maps & Gmail applications, SYS-CON's RIA News Desk has been covering every aspect of Rich Internet Applications and those creating and deploying them. If you have breaking RIA news, please send it to RIA@sys-con.com to share your product and company news coverage with AJAXWorld readers.