Google released AJAX toolkit
This Google Web Toolkit is supposed to make "writing AJAX applications like Google Maps and Gmail easy for developers who don't speak browser quirks as a second language."
As a developer you write your own Java front end and GWT converts the code to browser compatible JavaScript and HTML code.
Google seems to be very proud of GWT and says that it "works pretty darn well".
I haven't tested it yet, but if I do you'll sure hear about it here.
Emir Plicanic owns and operates a web design company, is a graphic designer at a nation wide company, and enjoys teaching Dreamweaver to enthusiastic students at a local college.