Wicked Code asp.net 2.0 (new key features in -- 1/5)

We will disuss 5 key features in this asp.net 2.0 series, which i think will be really helpful from the developer's perspective... These features implementation literally takes half the time, then it used to take in .net 1.1. Check it out yourself. Please feel free to comment on this if you hold any apprehensions....

Feature 1:
Updating Browser Displays in (Almost) Real Time

Problem: Developers used to find it real difficult to meet client requirements (banking, stock exchange) for instant refresh of the data (usually in data grid display) and still NOT have the performance hit. Since there was an HTTP postback to the server involved here, how good you code did not matter, and there was always a lil performance hit.

Solution (.net 2.0): XML-HTTP callbacks
Did you realize that the new ASP.NET 2.0 client callback manager provides an elegant solution to the problem of keeping browser displays in sync with constantly changing data on the server?

XML-HTTP callbacks enable browsers to make calls to Web servers without performing full-blown postbacks. The benefits are numerous. XML-HTTP callbacks transmit less data over the wire, thereby using bandwidth more efficiently. XML-HTTP callbacks don't cause the page to flicker because they don't cause the browser to discard the page as postbacks do. Furthermore, XML-HTTP callbacks execute less code on the server because ASP.NET short-circuits the request so that it executes the minimum amount of code necessary. Inside an XML-HTTP callback, for example, a page's Render method isn't called, significantly reducing the time required to process the request on the server.

The scenario generally involves an ASP.NET Web page displaying data that's continually updated on the server. The goal is to create a coupling between the browser and the Web server so that when the data changes on the server, it's automatically updated on the client, too.