ASP.NET ATLAS

ASP.NET “Atlas” is a package of new Web development technologies that integrates an extensive set of client script libraries with the rich, server-based development platform of ASP.NET 2.0. “Atlas” enables you to develop Web applications that can update data on a Web page by making direct calls to a Web server — without needing to round trip the page. With “Atlas”, you can take advantage of the best of ASP.NET and server-side code while doing much of the work in the browser, enabling richer user experiences.

“Atlas” enables you to build applications with better performance than traditional Web applications in two key aspects — responsiveness and user interface (UI). Traditional Web applications require a round trip for updating data or controls, which can result in long waits. “Atlas”, on the other hand, dramatically improves application performance by reducing the need for round trips.

In addition, since “Atlas” performs much of the processing in the client, it enables you to build a richer UI giving users a superior user experience over traditional Web applications. Not only does “Atlas” give you the power to create all the controls and features users have come to expect from a rich UI (such as drag and drop, auto-completion, mouse hovering behavior, and more), but more importantly, it enables you to build interactive, data-bound controls that allow users to sort, update, or change their view of data with few or no round trips to the server.

While ASP.NET “Atlas” is both a new package of technologies and a new approach, it is consistent with the concept of developing applications using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX). ”Atlas” applications are cross-platform and will run with little or no change in any modern browser. Examples of “Atlas” style applications include Microsoft's Virtual Earth site, Microsoft's Outlook Web Access e-mail client, and Start.com.

Creating AJAX-based Web applications is complex and requires extensive knowledge of client script. Thus, “Atlas” is not merely another implementation of AJAX. Instead, “Atlas” extends the AJAX concept in two significant ways. First, the “Atlas” client script libraries dramatically simplify the tasks of creating rich UIs and remote procedures calls by providing you with true object-oriented APIs and components for Atlas development. Second, “Atlas” extends the AJAX concept by providing a rich, integrated server development platform in ASP.NET 2.0. The “Atlas” server components include ASP.NET Web services and server controls that enable you to take advantage of the power of ASP.NET, such as the ASP.NET profiles service, in an “Atlas” application.

Overall, "Atlas" is about simplifying AJAX development and incorporating AJAX concepts into the typical Web application development process. The ASP.NET “Atlas” package of client and server-side development tools and components is a significant evolution and enhancement of the AJAX concept. The PDC materials — the Hands-On Labs, the “Atlas” QuickStart tutorials, and the keynote addresses — will help you to discover the power of the “Atlas” concept and its potential to transform the way you build Web applications.

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