The functionality, speed and usability of XMLHttpRequest is demonstrated extremely well by the likes of Gmail and Google’s stunning new Maps service (hey Google, when are you going to map out Great Britain?). But what if you want to build the next-generation web UI?

Fear not, Drew McLellan of All in the <Head> fame has come to the rescure of budding web-interface designers with his excellent introduction to XMLHttpRequest published over at xml.com.

McLellen’s “Very Dynamic Web Interfaces” is an easy-to-follow introduction into the fascinating world of XMLHttpRequest and should be recommended reading for all web-designers/developers.