The ASP.NET team has launched a new Microsoft Ajax CDN (Content Delivery Network) service that provides caching support for AJAX libraries (including jQuery and ASP.NET AJAX). The service is available for free, does not require any registration, and can be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.
Content delivery networks (CDNs) are composed of “edge cache” servers that are strategically placed around the world at key Internet network points. These servers cache and deliver all types of content – including images, videos, CSS and JavaScript files. Using a CDN can significantly improve a website’s end-user performance, since it enables browsers to more quickly retrieve and download content.
The Microsoft AJAX CDN makes it easy to add the jQuery and ASP.NET AJAX script libraries to your websites, and have them be automatically served from one of our thousands of geo-located edge-cache servers around the world.
More from Scott Gu
Nearly every web developer in the world knows about Firebug. Laurent Chesnais has created FireAtlas, a similar Firefox extension for ASP.NET AJAX Developers. Features include:
- PageRequestManager events tracing
- WebService calls tracing and inspection
- Partial Update inspection within Firebug Net Panel
FireAtlas Home Page
The fourth preview of the Microsoft Ajax 4.0 is now available on CodePlex. This is an important release because it enables the full client data story, complete with the ability to get changes back to the server automatically. It’s probably the easiest way to build a data-driven client application. Features include:
- Getting a client representation of data from an ADO.NET and REST data service.
- Rendering data on the client using templates.
- Declarative instantiation of client components.
- Live bindings, enabling changes in the UI and in the data to be automatically propagated.
- Command bubbling for codeless wiring of events in template-driven controls.
- Data identity and association management for efficient and consistent client-server data exchanges.
- Sending changes back to ADO.NET and REST data services.
Download Microsoft Ajax 4.0 Preview 4
Blog post describing features
