Does anyone use DHTML anymore or is that a thing of the past?

Straight from http://www.w3schools.com/dhtml/default.asp.

DHTML is a TERM describing the art of making dynamic and interactive web pages.
DHTML combines HTML, JavaScript, the HTML DOM, and CSS.

Drop-down menus are mostly DHTML, so they are certainly NOT "a thing of the past"

Half of jQuery consists of DHTML.
All of jQuery UI is DHTML.

Same goes for Prototype, MooTools, etc.

I'd say the answer is "yes".

We just use frameworks to do the hard work for us these days.

The only thing that's outdated about the term "DHTML" is the term itself. It just isn't used that much any more.

Exactly what I was thinking, wayfarer. The brand-names have overtaken the technology name. We use jQuery and Prototype interchangeably for DHTML today, like Kleenex for facial tissue and Band-Aids for bandages.

I've had a couple people ask me for "AJAX Effects" in their site, like pop-up calendars, dialogs, sliders, and slide-shows. I've retorted "you mean DHTML?" One, who fancied himself a bit of a web expert, actually replied "Isn't DHTML older than AJAX?"

Originally Posted by smoseley

I've had a couple people ask me for "AJAX Effects" in their site, like pop-up calendars, dialogs, sliders, and slide-shows. I've retorted "you mean DHTML?" One, who fancied himself a bit of a web expert, actually replied "Isn't DHTML older than AJAX?"

You could have replied, "well, everything you describe is DHTML, but none of it is actually AJAX".

It seems pretty common for clients to throw around the word "AJAX" without knowing what it actually refers to. They've just read about it in passing and it seems catchy. It always seems to be presented as a new technology, even though it's not very new in internet years. I try to explain that it only refers to one object in JavaScript that makes asynchronous requests to the server, which makes me sound very intelligent, but it doesn't really help them understand.

Better way to word it.... "With AJAX, when users submit a form they don't have to wait for the page to reload - it makes your website flow smoother, more like a desktop application than a website." Clients don't care about the tech details, only about the end results. Making you sound smarter is fine for selling your smarts to the client... if you want to sell them services, you have to give them a value-add to the service.

Originally Posted by smoseley

Better way to word it.... "With AJAX, when users submit a form they don't have to wait for the page to reload - it makes your website flow smoother, more like a desktop application than a website."

That's true. After I give my technical one-liner I always follow it up with a plain description of what AJAX actually DOES, what it is useful for. I try to explain why making requests to the page without refreshing will be useful if it is applied correctly. For clients this is the only truly important thing.