AJAX / CSS - Take Command with AJAX

Do you want to build more dynamic, responsive, desktop-like Web applications like Gmail and Google Maps? Then this article is for you. It guides you through the AJAX [1] basics and through the process of building a simple AJAX application. That application is named WebConsole and, in essence, it's a browser interface for executing system commands for which you'd usually need shell access.
http://www.sitepoint.com/print/take-command-ajax