<UL> <LI>Ajax is the term used to describe the combination of three hot technology topics&#150;CSS, XML, and JavaScript&#150;providing faster, more sophisticated Web user interfaces</LI> <LI>Explores the technologies behind Ajax, its various usage models and communication methods, and why the Ajax model is better than the traditional Web model</LI> <LI>Discusses Ajax and its practical implementation in a professional Web site/application environment</LI> <LI>Examines a variety of server-side languages (such as PHP and .NET) so that readers can get an overview of development issues prior to implementing their own Ajax solutions</LI> <LI>Also covers building a Web-based Ajax RSS reader and calling Web services from JavaScript</LI></UL>