I have read some articles (listed below) about AJAX and have ranted about event based web apps as the future of the Internet. I love the idea of channeling information and experience to a user in continuous manner that provides for an increased continuity of experience. I love the smooth transition between action and response that makes us all feel safe. I love the beauty of not having to figure out if the windows icon in the browser corner is really moving. To quote a song “These are a few of my favorite things.”

The use of AJAX will require some time for the casual web user to grow comfortable with but I think it may not be as long as it took for some to grow comfortable with the original browser. From my experience in building web applications the “page click page” model has significant experience gaps brought on by the browser blink. Users of the web in my experience look for an experience that is as close to a local application as possible. The less we have users focusing on browser chrome and its behaviors the better off we are.

• Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications By Jesse James Garrett
  Great diagrams and description of AJAX.
• XMLHttpRequest, Ajax, and the customer experience By Jason Fried
• SAJAX