It's great to see the progression to AJAX in the enterprise but I am getting utterly frustrated at how large corporate websites are failing to use and deploy AJAX properly.

I recently tried to create an account for a new American Express card at:
https://www99.americanexpress.com/myca/usermgt/us/action?request_type=un_Register

I was initially happy to see a nice clean interface. I enter the 4-digit ID, then go on to enter the credit card number. When I finish entering the credit card number, the mouse cursor jumps back to the 4-digit ID (that I already entered!!). Nice try here but not very helpful.

The real problems start with the broken registration. The registration page has some interesting focus() tricks which makes a description popup above the focused form field. This is "ok" although the popup/overlay blocks the next form field so you have to hit 'tab' every time. This gets quite annoying.

The critical problem obviously is when I click 'submit' to submit my information. The form does nothing and I *see no error*. Wonderful right? Well I hit the 'back' button and I am now "logged in" at:

https://home.americanexpress.com/home/mt_personal_cm.shtml

I find myself in the "My account" page but if I click any links it brings me back to the login screen.

I convinced myself this was an issue with FireFox and tried IE7. I get the same problems. After more registration failures, I finally get a wonderful page:
"For your security, your account has been temporarily locked out of the system."

What a load of %$&$%? !! AJAX is a very rough technology that requires experts and proper testing, I don't know who American Express subcontracted or the project manager(s) involved but fire who you have to.

For a large corporation, and especially a credit card institution (where rigorous security and testing policies should be met), this just looks very very bad. This is not the first time I go though this, the same mess a month ago at
http://www.dhl.ca/ca/

After recently viewing a Mac TV add:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR2ONmS56DE&feature=related

My fiancee turned to me and said "ca m'énerve un peu" (french for "it's starting to be annoying"). Although I'm a fan of Mac ads, the message this time seemed to be over the top and downright annoying.

Mac suddenly became for me "try to look cool and annoying" rather then "be cool". I'm not a Mac owner but have been thinking of buying one for a new laptop, at this time I need a little more then the "Mac fashion" message which is really wearing out on me.

So here's the options:

• Microsoft: Builds very simple products but not so "stable" (agreed Mac). Experienced this just yesterday by "upgrading to XP Sp3" and then powerpoint 2007 was amazingly slow among other issues. Downgrading to SP2 fixed the problem(s).
  


• Mac: Builds products with a "fashion" twist, very stable (based on freebsd). The problem with a Mac for me is their 'message', can their products be used for productivity / business / everyday use in my case?
  


• Google: Well no OS but builds very simple products that just work. Their message, "google". What their brand represents is simplicity, open, easy to use, no fuss, no marketing, it just works, rock solid!
  

If someone is listening, can you please just build an OS that easy to use for everyday use and *that works*, and please shove your marketing down the !?%$È?&$*.

Hopefully Microsoft can fix their mess, or innovation with browsers (Google Chrome?) can pave the way for to a new era of computing.