At the January meetup of the Berlin JavaScript User Group, Martin Stadler - Frontend Engineer at excentos - gave a talk about a new standard for JavaScript modules in the browser: "Asynchronous Module Definition" (AMD).

Have a look at the slides:

More flexible client development with the "Asynchronous Module Definition (AMD)"

excentos is an early adopter of AMD. It helps us making our Ajax applications more modular, so we are able to adjust to our customers' requirements with more flexibility. Having our JavaScript code in AMD format gives us automatic resolution of dependencies to other modules, more efficient loading of the application (performance), and a clearer separation from other scripts on the web page.

Download IWB-Article as PDF (Issue 17/11 of 22. August 2011) or web-version (until now only for IWB-subscriptions)

The Main Statements of Internet World Regarding Search Tools are:

• "The importance of product search and recommendation is extremely underestimated. Search delivers up to 50% of a website's revenue", says Johannes Altmann, CEO of Shoplupe.com
• Websites without good product search often leave helpless customers behind, since they don't find their way through endless but unintelligent result lists or - even worse - abort their buying process on empty result lists
• the product search and product advice is a real "Business Tool"

Internet World sees Guided Selling as "The Next Step of Product Search":

• advantage of Guided Selling is the intelligent combination of selection criteria with the guided online buying process that helps consumers finding the right products and directs buyers towards the right decision
• Guided Selling implements the job of a human sales representative: listen to the user's requirements, provide information about special product features and use cases and buying requirements, presentation and explanation of the results 
• the fuzzy knowledge model and matching engine together with needs-based product advice avoid empty result lists, provide alternative recommendations and thereby increase customer satisfaction and revenues
• actively suggesting hot product features is "Upselling in its purest form" since it creates need and willingness to pay for better products

In addition to the sales-boosting-effects, the article also describes how Guided Selling enables Emotional Shopping and enhances the Shopping Experience: "Guided Selling can help adequately presenting a brand online". Guided Selling together with good design and usability, says Ole Tangermann (CEO of excentos GmbH), makes product search the moment of a decision where brands find their ideal playground to bring their messages and uniqueness to the market."