A. No. XML is the most fully-deve loped means of getting data in and out of an Ajax client but there's no reason you couldnt accomplish the same effects using a technology like JavaScript object Notation or any similar means of structuring data for interchange. Q. Are Ajax applications easier to develop than traditional web applications A. Not necessarily. Ajax applications inevitably involve running complex JavaScript code on the client. Making that complex code eff icient and bug-free is not a task to be taken lightly, and better development tools and frameworks will be needed to help us meet that challenge Q. Do Ajax applications a lways de liver a better experience than traditional web applications? A. Not necessarily. Ajax gives interaction designers more flexibility. However, the more power we have, the more caution we must use in exercising it. We must be careful to use ajax to enhance the user experience of our applications, not degrade it. Jesse James Garrett is President and a founder of Adaptive Pa th. He is the author of the widely-referenced book The elements of User Experience. Jesses other essays include The Nine Pillars of Successful Web Teams and Six Design Lessons From the Apple Store To get essays like this one delivered directly to your inbox subscribe to our email newsletter. For more, check out our blog.A. No. XML is the most fully-developed means of getting data in and out of an Ajax client, but there’s no reason you couldn’t accomplish the same ef fects using a technology like JavaScript Object Notation or any similar means of structuring data for interchange. Q. Are Ajax applications easier to develop than traditional web applications? A. Not necessarily. Ajax applications inevitably involve running complex JavaScript code on the client. Making that complex code efficient and bug-f ree is not a task to be taken lightly, and better development tools and f rameworks will be needed to help us meet that challenge. Q. Do Ajax applications always deliver a better experience than traditional web applications? A. Not necessarily. Ajax gives interaction designers more flexibility. However, the more power we have, the more caution we must use in exercising it. We must be careful to use Ajax to enhance the user experience of our applications, not degrade it. Jesse James Garrett is President and a founder of Adaptive Path. He is the author of the widely-referenced book The Elements of User Experience. Jesse’s other essays include The Nine Pillars of Successful Web Teams and Six Design Lessons From the Apple Store. To get essays like this one delivered directly to your inbox, subscribe to our email newsletter. For more, check out our blog