All around the place we see people starting to really push the boundaries of JavaScript in web development. Google maps opened our eyes, and then there is GMail, now after Slashdot declaring AJAX as the buzz of silicone valley it appears that Yahoo wants a piece of the action with it’s new mapping software and API.

Well, I guess it is good that we have finally reached a level of compatibility between JavaScript DOMs that allow these systems to be created relatively easily. However, using JavaScript in this way is still relatively new and moving to a pure AJAX system may not be the best choice.

The simple matter is accessibility is sacrificed in the name of a cool user interface. While a nice pure XHTML website will be usable on a mobile phone (especially in the next few months with these devices adopting Windows Mobile 5), your brand spanking new AJAX shopping cart will be unusable. Opera didn’t even natively support the XMLHTTP object prior to version 8.0, instead you had to use workarounds.

AJAX is a great idea, just don’t isolate your users because you want to have the latest and greatest technology powering your site.

2005-11-17 Update: I just happened across this article which illustrates my point nicely.