I think the phrase "Web 2.0" is for the most part universally despised, and I wholeheartedly subscribe to this point of view. While it may be fluffy market speak it does carry a meaning to me, a vague and over hyped meaning, but a meaning none the less. When I work on client sites I will suggest using AJAX or a more interactive design if doing so is a good fit for the site and overall functionality. More often than not however clients will ask for dynamic parts of a site, even going so far as to say "I want this page to be more AJAX-y". Over the last few years I have been involved with and written quite a few different dynamic and interactive web site features. Thanks to great packages like Sajax, Prototype, and Script.aculo.us among others, adding varied levels of web 2.0 goodness while keeping an eye on overhead and bloat is not too difficult.

    For the Hastymail project I want to take whats good about using AJAX and javascript and enhance the software without creating dependencies or bloat. One of the original coding principles of the Hastymail project was no javascript at all. Times have changed since then and that guideline has morphed into "no required javascript". So we can use javascript to expand and enhance, but core functionality should be preserved for users without javascript support. An onchange event on a select element that submits a form is ok, as long as there is a submit button at the very least in noscript tags. For a webmail client making calls to the server without reloading the entire page can be useful in many ways. Using a minamilist approach I have been adding such features to the new Hastymail code, including a compact modified version of the Sajax javascript/php library for the AJAX heavy lifting. The additional javascript included currently weighs in at 9Kb. Even with this additional javascript and a few interface images, average page size in Hastymail 2 is the same or smaller than for the same page in Hastymail 1, mostly thanks to much more effective use of CSS. The AJAX system can be disabled site wide as well as on a per user basis.

    I think the name "Hastymail 2" is fitting for the re-release of this software not only because it's an overall rewrite of the original Hastymail code but also because it is a next generation (ugh, web 2.0) version of the application but  with a very Hastymail 1 type of approach. We will still be supporting small screen and text only browsers, but having additional javascript support allows us to also take advantage of more advanced browser capabilities when present. I have no plans to integrate Prototype or any fancy javascript effects. It may be neat but even with compressed versions it would more than double the average page size. The last thing I want is to do is bulk up the page any more than absolutely necessary. For example Zimbra is a very cool webmail system but the average page size is massive, 10-20 times that of Hastymail.

    I think it's possible to enhance Hastymail using "web 2.0" powers, but with an approach true to the original design philosophy of the software. Over the next month or two we will see if this prediction is accurate.