In regards to ajax applications, is idempotence an important consideration? I use ajax/GETs to change server state, does this really matter?
Whether you use ajax or not, remember that all GET requests are formed, ultimately, into a url string.
So all the usual GET limitations apply, and there will always be cases where you wouldn't want to use GET (e.g., the list of parameters is very long, or if the parameters contain non-ascii characters, etc.), regardless if ajax is involved.
If web accelerators do not parse js, then inklesspen's objections are not relevant. Am I correct?
Yes, you're correct.
Because most of the accelerators/bots/spiders/etc. out there right now do not have javascript engines, they simply cannot click on an ajax GET link.
But don't be surprised if that changes in the future: some bot authors probably know they're being foiled by their inability to execute scripts, so I wouldn't be shocked to see javascript-capable crawlers clicking ajax GET links eventually.
Whether you use ajax or not, remember that all GET requests are formed, ultimately, into a url string.
So all the usual GET limitations apply, and there will always be cases where you wouldn't want to use GET (e.g., the list of parameters is very long, or if the parameters contain non-ascii characters, etc.), regardless if ajax is involved.
If web accelerators do not parse js, then inklesspen's objections are not relevant. Am I correct?
Yes, you're correct.
Because most of the accelerators/bots/spiders/etc. out there right now do not have javascript engines, they simply cannot click on an ajax GET link.
But don't be surprised if that changes in the future: some bot authors probably know they're being foiled by their inability to execute scripts, so I wouldn't be shocked to see javascript-capable crawlers clicking ajax GET links eventually.