Ruby Web Start?

[petermichaux]

Hi,

I've been poking my nose into some Java books over the last week. Java
Web Start applications seem like the coolest thing. From what I
understand when you click an app link on a web page you automatically
download not just the java app but also java if you don't have the
correct version installed. Then the application runs locally on your
computer. This sounds like it could be much better then a database
admin website and having to download admin web pages and images and css
and javascript files over and over. Even compared to AJAX, a dedicated
desktop app that can talk to the remote database would be faster. And
with Java Web Start when the java app is updated on the original
website, the next time you run the app it is automatically updated.

Does Ruby Web Start exist or is it being developed?

This sounds like the future to me.

Peter

 

[David Vallner]

D=C5=88a Sobota 18 Febru=C3=A1r 2006 04:38 (e-mail address removed) nap=C3=AD=
sal:

I've been poking my nose into some Java books over the last week. Java
Web Start applications seem like the coolest thing.=20

<rant>

I don't recall seeing a single Java Web Start application that's not a demo=
in=20
the wild. I'll admit, I didn't really look, or really care. The desktop Jav=
a=20
market is miniscule, the only apps I can recall of having a major following=
=20
are Eclipse (and other Java IDEs), jEdit, Azureus. None of those deployed=20
using JNLP.

People don't want Yet Another Package Manager. I want my programs installed=
=20
and kept up-to-date via RPM, APT, Portage, whatever is the standard on the=
=20
system I'm using (unfortunately, a similar system for Windows didn't come t=
o=20
mind), not something else I have to keep track of.

If Sun wanted Java apps to be easily deployable, they'd provide a wrapper t=
o=20
turn JARs into proper executables with the JDK. JNLP is nonsense. It has=20
marginal usefulness in deploying applications internally, but that's easily=
=20
doable with remote administration without anyone clicking on links.

Microsoft aims to Do Stuff with its .NET clone of JNLP, and given their opt=
ion=20
to force anything down the throats of users with a new Windows version whic=
h=20
Sun didn't have, it might actually end up being used.

This sounds like it could be much better then a database admin website and
having to download admin web pages and images and css and javascript files
over and over.=20

Ever heard of browser caching?

Does Ruby Web Start exist or is it being developed?

I doubt it. We have gems. Set your browser to do a "gem install" when you=20
click on a link to a gem file, sounds pretty much the same to me.

This sounds like the future to me.

It sounds like a relic from when Scott McNealy thought people will give up =
PCs=20
and only use thin clients with everything stored server-side to me. Or that=
=20
someone might actually use desktop Java apps - which, ironically, finally=20
start to look and feel much less repulsively now (half-hearted yay for nati=
ve=20
controls in Swing 1.6) that no one gives a damn.

David Vallner