Maps By Google
Maps.google.com just launched.
It's another great example of how smart companies are using Javascript to cut down on full page reloads and provide a better user experience in their web applications.
At ESPN, our Fantasy Football product team (of which I was a member) did a great job of using Javascript to make our web app feel a little bit more like a desktop app.
But Google, as usual, is setting the bar high, and web surfers will reap the benefits. Javascript will allow web apps to do more work on client computers, and smart interaction designers will use Javascript to hide all but the most important elements of an app. The trend towards speed and simplicity will force websites that move as quick as a lumbering dinosaur to compete, or risk extinction (ok, bad metaphor, but those dinosaurs will at least see significant declines in traffic.)
So, right on, Google, although you've got ESPN's campus located smack in the middle of the Bristol hospital, even though they're at Location C on the map.
Update: My buddy (and DHTML guru) Jon pointed me to a site that deconstructs maps.google.com.
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