In preparation for my AJAX presentation to .NUFW on June 15, 2006, DaveFancher.com has been upgraded to replace much of the functionality that was performed through postbacks with AJAX calls to give the site more of a "Web 2.0" feel. In addition to replacing some functionality with AJAX calls, some new functionality has also been introduced.

List of Changes:

• The contact form now uses an AJAX call.
• The article comment form now uses an AJAX call to post comments.
• The archive now has three view modes. By default, the page will be displayed by date but the archive also provides a new tag view mode and a new title view mode. Toggling between the modes is accomplished with an AJAX call. The site uses a cookie to remember the setting on a user by user basis.
• A new article rating system has been implemented. Ratings are submitted by an AJAX call and user ratings are remembered by a cookie. No, this system isn't perfect but it meets my needs.

The AJAX upgrades have been tested against Opera, IE 6, and Firefox so there should be no compatibility issues. Of course, if JavaScript is disabled, the AJAX won't work.

In addition to the AJAX upgrades, a couple of other changes have been made. Articles now have links to submit them to Digg, Reddit, and Technorati. The footer has also been modified to include my Greenhybrid.com mileage information so anyone that's interested can see how the Prius is doing.

These changes should all be for the better and additional upgrades, particularly to the commenting system are planned but time is an issue now. As always, if any problems are found, be sure to send a note.