Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Development
    • Development
    • IT Management
    • Servers

    Kojax: Mobile AJAX from Microsoft?

    By
    Darryl K. Taft
    -
    November 26, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Who loves ya, baby? Well, it appears Microsoft does if you are an AJAX developer building mobile applications.

      According to published reports, Microsoft is working on an AJAX-style mobile application development environment code-named Kojax, designed to help developers create mobile applications, purportedly for use in emerging markets. AJAX is a Web development technique used for creating interactive Web applications.

      The code name for the technology brings to mind Kojak, the tough, bald-headed, lollipop-licking cop from 70s-era TV crime drama of the same name. Kojak’s catchphrase was, “Who loves ya, baby?” Microsoft must be hoping AJAX developers will dig Kojax. However, the company would not comment on the project.

      Microsoft blogger and code-name maven Mary Jo Foley, who uncovered the Kojax name and information, said, “Kojax is a mobile development platform, according to my sources, that will allow Microsoft- and third-party-developed applets [to] run in an AJAX-like way, using a combination of Visual Studio tools and JavaScript, on Java-based mobile phones.”

      Foley also noted that the types of applications expected to be created with Kojax will be:

      “More like a virtual wallet for online payments, a group messaging service and photo-sharing app-things that build on top of Windows Live for Mobile services. Some of these Kojax-based applets will [be] ad-funded; others will likely be transaction- and subscription-based.“

      In Kojax, it is quite possible that Microsoft will offer a more friendly mobile development solution that enables developers to tap into the power of the mobile browser and JavaScript. Indeed, standards organizations such as the OpenAjax Alliance, the World Wide Web Consortium and others have been working on the concept of mobile AJAX for the last year or more. Microsoft is a key member of the OpenAjax Alliance’s IDE work group that is looking at issues such as mobile AJAX, said Jon Ferraiolo, an IBM engineer and director of the OpenAjax Alliance, a consortium of vendors and organizations working to promote AJAX interoperability.

      “Kojax sounds like something in this area,” said Coach Wei, an AJAX expert and chairman and founder of Nexaweb, which focuses on transforming business applications to the Web. “Developing applications on mobile devices is either native (too heavy) or browser-based (Web pages that can’t do too much) so far. So something like mobile AJAX that enables someone to tap into the power of a mobile browser and JavaScript engine for rendering/processing while still connecting to the local device via local APIs for storage, etc., would be great to have.”

      Microsoft was instrumental in the creation and continued evolution of AJAX, including offering its own ASP.NET AJAX tooling.

      In addition, Microsoft recently added support for the popular open-source jQuery JavaScript library.

      Meanwhile, Foley says Kojax may be related to Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential initiative, which focuses on emerging markets. If so, smart move. Smartphone use in emerging markets is growing rapidly, as many countries that lack sufficient land-line infrastructure have become ripe markets for cellular technology. And users in those countries are buying smartphones as a primary means of Internet access.

      Meanwhile, if Kojax is a success, maybe next we’ll see “Lojax,” an AJAX-based mobile application that helps users find their lost cell phones.

      Darryl K. Taft
      Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×