Google already has an API for Google Maps service which makes it possible to create interactive, real-data-driven maps.

DrasticMap, an AJAX based component, makes it easier to show data from a MySQL database in Google Maps.

This Google Maps component is offered in a PHP – JavaScript package called DrasticTools which also includes 2 other components, DrasticCloud (for easy tag cloud generation) & DrasticGrid (grid editing).

DrasticMap uses MooTools JavaScript framework for the interaction, which is included in the download package.

AJAX Chat is a powerful, open source, fully customizable web chat software built with JavaScript, PHP and MySQL.

AJAX Chat supports voice chat that is powered by Flash & Ruby (sound support is optional).

This free AJAX chat software integrates easily with PHP community softwares like phpBB, MyBB, PunBB, SMF, vBulletin and sample integrations are provided with the software.

Some beautiful features include

• Multilanguage support
• Multiple channels
• Private messaging
• Private channels
• Invitation system
• Kick or ban offending users
• Online users list with user menu
• Emoticons / Smilies
• Flood control
• Possibility to delete messages inside the chat
• IRC style commands
• Possibility to define opening hours for the chat
• Possibility to enable/disable guest users
• Template system
• Standards compliance (XHTML 1.0 strict)
• Realtime monitoring and logs viewer
• Easy integration into existing authentication systems
• Well commented source code

Ajax Chat is developed with security in mind and it is strong against code injections, SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS), session stealing and other attacks.

ProjectPier is an open source, self-hosted PHP project management application which helps connecting teams, organizing projects & tasks through a web interface.

It’s code is based on activeCollab, which was a popular free project management application & became paid later on.

ProjectPier has an active community which discusses about the software, creates themes & translations.

Some features of ProjectPier:

• Multi-client capability lets you manage projects of different clients simultanously
• 3-Level rights management:
  1. Administrator
  2. User of owner company
  3. User of client company
• Possibility to limit rights of client users per project
• Messages and task lists can be linked to milestones
• Versioning can be used to manage revisions of uploaded files.
• Tags can be used to categorize messages, tasks, milestones, and files
• Fulltext search per project covering messages, tasks, milestones, and files
• Privacy: Messages, tasks, milestones, files, and comments can be flagged as ‘private’, hiding sensitive information from clients

Similar to TinyURL, a short URL service can be created in minutes with Shorty.

Shorty is a PHP script for creating shorter, human readable links from long URLs.

A reason to prefer using Shorty for personal use rather than TinyURL or similar services may be eliminating the risk of these services becoming offline and losing your links, as you can use this free short URL script forever.

Shorty has an admin interface where links can be organized and clicking statistics can be viewed. You can even have a RSS for your links.

ClickHeat is an open source heatmap statistics application & PHP class that visualizes your visitors clicking activities which is a very nice way of getting a snapshot of your visitor’s browsing behaviors.

Heatmaps can also be generated using its heatmap class inside other web applications.

ClickHeat is lightweight as very few function calls to log a click, no server load rise should be noticed. For tweakenings with the settings check the performance & optimization page.

ajax im is an ajax chat script that creates a real-time chat environment with a browser based interface.

It can be added to any intranet, website or a social-community project to help users chat with each other. Chat interface does not reload as everything is updated in real-time via JavaScript.

ajax im is also a multilingual script and language files can be found in the script website.

How ajax im works?

The XMLHTTPRequest object allows HTTP requests to be sent to the server and get input back from the server. There are two parts to the client-server interaction through this object:

• The client "pings" the server (a PHP script) for new messages. The server in turn queries a database for any messages for the client, and returns them as JSON. The XMLHTTPRequest object passes this JSON text be parsed by the rest of the JavaScript.
• The client sends data to the server (a PHP script), such as a new message to another user. This data is then processed by the server ("cleaning" the data of any thing invalid) and put into the database, which is later "pinged" by another client.

Collabtive is a free PHP project management software with a Web 2.0 looking, ajaxed interface.

The software is still in the beta phase but it already has the features like:

• Projects, Milestones, Taskslists, Tasks
• User management
• Message system
• Integrated instant messenger
• Multilingual
• Template system

Activecollab was one of the most popular free project management softwares that became a paid solution after sometime. If you are looking for an alternative which will run on your servers & have an open source code, take a look at Collabtive.

There are some nice upcoming features like a flash progress meter for the projects.

SilverStripe is a powerful content management system which runs on Sapphire framework (object oriented framework like Ruby on Rails or Django).

The framework lets you rapidly code up the "objects" your project uses (e.g. staff members, products, customers, along with their relationships). You then add a few lines of code and find SilverStripe has automatically added tables and columns to the database, let you use them in your website templates, and has added new "page types" and fields into the CMS for the content editor to utilise.

Some features:

• Simple: Intuitive and user-friendly
• Flexible coding framework
• Scalable: From 1 page to a million
• Standards Compliant: Fully XHTML compliant
• Modular
• Template Freedom: No restrictions on the look and feel of your site
• Open source
• Cross platform easy to install (PHP based)
• Supported

One of the best things about SilverStripe CMS is the active community behind it. You can easily find support from users.

There are some very useful modules developed for this content management system including a blog module, forum module & an e-commerce module.

PHP Speedy is a a PHP script which increases the loading times of web pages.

PHP Speedy automatically joins all the appropriate files together and compresses them which decreases the amount of requests made to the server & sizes of the files. Result is a dramatic decrease in the loading speeds.

The script can be used in most of the PHP enabled websites.

Installation of this PHP script can be done automatically or manually. After the installation PHP Speedy code must be inserted at the top of the website’s main content generating file (index.php in most cases). There is already a how-to for WordPress too.

Before PHP Speedy (14 requests in 4.44 seconds):

After PHP Speedy (4 requests in 1.1 seconds)

PrestaShop, although it is in beta, is a complicated open source e-commerce solution.

Having a very powerful back-end, store admins can manage the inventory, orders, customers & payments easily. System never limits you as it supports unlimited categories, sub-categories & image pictures. Sub-admin users can be created with different permissions so when someone can only track the inventory another admin can be limited to processing the orders.

PrestaShop is a multilingual e-commerce software that any number of languages can be added to the system. As it is in beta status, there are exciting upcoming features like product comparison, wishlist or multiple websites.

This PHP shopping cart offers very nice features in the"front-end" like:

• Special deals (price reductions, gift vouchers)
• Text-message alerts
• Featured products on homepage
• Free shipping offers
• Cross-selling (Accessories)
• Order out-of-stock items
• Unlimited payment methods
• Multiple-recipient contact form
• Product tagging & tag cloud
• Offer gift-wrapping & recycled packaging
• PDF customer invoice
• Sale of services & virtual goods
• RSS feed
• Newsletter opt-in
• Pick up in-store option