Microsoft Corporation has joined the OpenAjax Alliance, a group focused on accelerating the use of Asynchronous JavaScript and XML technologies. Microsoft said it agreed to join the alliance to work with other vendors to evolve AJAX, a method of rich Internet applications that ensure interoperability. The company said that its membership in the alliance is another indication that it wants to provide Web developers with technology that works across different browsers and platforms.
The alliance also announced that it has signed up 30 new members in recent weeks, bringing the total to 72 vendors. The group was formed last February to create a set of requirements for AJAX technologies, products and applications to ensure interoperability among tools built by different vendors. The group also wants to create requirements that can speed delivery times and cut the cost of Web 2.0 applications. In addition to working on the interoperability standards, the group has formed task forces to address AJAX security, IDE integration, server integration and client-side server communications, said David Boloker, chairman of the OpenAjax steering committee.