I recently discovered a fascinating prototype extension called LOAJAX. While the effect of the extension is a bit hard to describe, it’s immediately obvious when you try the demo’s with and without it. Basically, LOAJAX uses an iFrame crutch to make the browser display all of the interface elements associated with a page load.

How it works:

1. A normal AJAX XMLHttpRequest is triggered by the AJAX application.
2. LOAJAX creates a hidden iframe that points to a server script.
3. The browser displays loading behavior while the iframe loads its source.
4. The Server Script consists of a massive wait so the load never completes.
5. When the XMLHttpRequest is completed, LOAJAX stops the iframe load and removes it from the DOM.
6. The browser stops displaying page load indicators.

You can find more about LOAJAX and check out the demo here:

http://blog.loajax.com/

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