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Microsoft Ships April Atlas CTP

Microsoft this week released the April Community Technology Preview (CTP) of ASP.NET, code-named "Atlas."

Atlas is an ASP.NET 2.0 framework for building cross-browser, cross-platform AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) applications. The company announced with last month's CTP that it feels Atlas is stable enough to issue a "go-live license" that lets developers put their Atlas applications into production.

Atlas provides client-side script libraries that integrate with ASP.NET 2.0's server-based development framework and provides the same type of development platform for client-based Web pages that ASP.NET provides for server-based pages.

"Atlas makes it possible to easily take advantage of AJAX techniques on the Web and enables you to create ASP.NET pages with a rich, responsive UI and server communication," says a statement on Microsoft's download site for Atlas. Developers interested in downloading the latest Atlas CTP can do so here.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

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