
The industry group aims to further develop and promote the Asynchronous JavaScript and XML programming technique that powers online applications.
"Microsoft is joining the OpenAjax Alliance to collaborate with other industry leaders to help evolve Ajax-style development by ensuring a high degree of interoperability," said Keith Smith a group product manager for Microsoft's platform and tools business.
The software vendor earlier this year started shipping its free ASP.Net Ajax 1.0 development tool, which offers a graphical user interface for building Ajax applications. The free tool targets developers who are familiar with Microsoft's Visual Studio.Net development toolkit.
The OpenAjax alliance counts 72 members, including Adobe, BEA, the Dojo Foundation, Eclipse Foundation and IBM.