14 DAY TRIAL // On 23 January 2007, Microsoft has made available ASP.NET AJAX 1.0. The product formerly code-named Atlas is designed to enable developers to add AJAX to existing ASP.NET 2.0 sites. Additionally, ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 will provide a client-side AJAX library with support for core JavaScript type-systems, a JavaScript component/control model, integrated functionality with ASP.NET, compatibility with ASP.NET 2.0 and VS 2005, JSON-based network serialization stack and common client JavaScript helper classes.
Scott Guthrie, General Manager within the Microsoft Developer Division, revealed that although Microsoft has already shipped the core ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 release, the pace of the development process will not be affected.
"All of the ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 features will be integrated directly into the next release of ASP.NET (codename: "Orcas"). Visual Studio "Orcas" will also provide client-side JavaScript intellisense, JavaScript compilation checking, and rich JavaScript debugging support for ASP.NET AJAX scenarios," stated Guthrie.
Microsoft is already laboring to prepare for the upcoming ASP.NET AJAX release. Guthrie informed that the Microsoft Developer Division will continue to add features and improvements to the ASP.NET AJAX core. "You can already start using many of these new features with the ASP.NET AJAX Futures CTP (available for download now on the ASP.NET AJAX site - it also supports a "go live" license)," said Guthrie.
But for the present time, the ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 release will streamline the addition of rich AJAX functionality to ASP.NET 2.0 applications, and create rich user experiences.