Since its conception in 2005, AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript and XML) has changed the web world as we know it today. It's helped websites evolve into RIAs (rich internet applications) by allowing webpages to make direct requests to a web server without reloading the page. This capability is vital in replicating the rich user experiences achieved in client applications. The purpose of this post is to help newcomers understand the different ways that AJAX can be used to create RIAs.