Backbase offers a versatile software package for using the AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) toolkit with Backbase 3.0. Several customizable templates make Web page creation a snap by processes as simple as dragging and dropping. One example lets users create four windows for weather and news, floating in the browser the same way real windows float in an OS. Backbase pages have an HTML suffix and that is how the Web server treats them, yet although these files contain HTML tags they are filled with BXML, Backbase's version of XML. Like most committee-inspired creations, JavaScript is convenient but messy; the Backbase architects have taken a lesson from this and provide a straightforward mechanism. One small drawback here is that the application program interface is essentially a new language, smaller and cleaner, but JavaScript ability is useless. Backbase code parses the XML and the coding is filled with XPath logic. The displayed pages are unusually interactive; clicking on an item will provide a description without loading a new Web page. One detail many users will find impressive is a built-in debugger that brings up floating windows when the escape key is pressed. After finalizing code, the debugger should be disabled to lock out other users and cut downloading time. The user-friendly, clean look of Backbase applications will significantly raise the consciousness of most developers.