Weird Web Start question with Application and Manager

[akubird]

We write a small application for the design of surfboards all in Java
and I have a couple of questions.

1. What ever happened to the auto-launch of the Java Webstart
Application Manager?

I liked that thing and so did our users. Here's what we notice when a
user clicks our .jnlp file using Firefox in Windows:
they are give a choice to either open the program or save to the
desktop.

But in Windows with Explorer it seems that it defaults to the launch
option. Which is sort of cool but many users would like to have another
option than launch the program from a web browser everytime. In other
words, many of our users don't figure out anything else and keep
writing us with questions on how to do something than launch the
software from the webpage everytime they want to run it.

We are aware of the following steps to create a short cut (generally on
the Desktop), which we found here:
http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/5000070700.xml

Instructions to launch from Application Cache Viewer

1. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Double click on the Java
icon. The Java Control Panel will start.
2. Click on the General tab
3. Click on the Settings button from the Temporary Internet Files
section
4. Click on the View Applications button
5. Double click on the respective application from the list that you
want to launch


This is fine but for many of our users aren't the most experienced of
computer users and from a usability point of view, we'd perfer an
easier way for our users to be able to have a shortcut on their
desktop.

So the question is: Is there and easier way to create an icon on the
user's desktop besides going through the control panel and taking 5
steps to do this? If so, how? Can we code anything in the .jnlp file?
Related question: Is there a way to have the Java Web Start Application
Manger automatically open when the .jnlp file is clicked? If so how?

Question 2 relates to 1.

2. Now we're dealing with icons with our short cut on the desktop.
We've noticed that if the user chooses to save the .jnlp file to his
desktop then it has the name of our software with the little java
coffee cup icon. That's nice, but we like our logo specified in the
..jnlp file to be there. But we've also noticed that if the user makes a
shortcut to the desktop (as described in the steps above) then our icon
is shown. And that's what we want.

It's sort of two different things, one is a .jnlp file and the other is
a shortcut to one. It makes sense that the icon on the .jnlp file is
the coffee cup because when that is saved, none of the jars have been
loaded so there isn't really an image to use as an icon, ok that's
cool, sort of.

So I guess the question is: Does anyone have a good idea on how we can
have the short cut on our desktop and have our icon being shown as
opposed to the .jnlp file? Or any other related ideas would be
appreciated.

Thanks very much.
akubird

 

[Andrew Thompson]

I liked that thing and so did our users. Here's what we notice when a
user clicks our .jnlp file using Firefox in Windows:
they are give a choice to either open the program or save to the
desktop.

This seems related to the content-type the server is sending
<http://groups.google.com.au/group/comp.lang.java.programmer/msg/369a8c2ad725a7e9?hl=en&>

Check the mime-type returned for your .jnlp file
at the mindprod link.

(IE guesses correctly, that's why it works..)

 

[Roedy Green]

1. What ever happened to the auto-launch of the Java Webstart
Application Manager?

There are two places you can have autolaunch. One is in the browser.
To do that the browser needs a table with the extension, the mime type
and the name of the application to run.

Consider Opera, the browser I use most often. Sun refuses to set
these tables up in Opera and Opera also refuses to set them up. I
wrote and asked and got a formal refusal. The user can do it manually,
but it is a scary process that most novices will balk at it and refuse
to do.

The other place is in Windows (or your OS itself). You need an
association. There are some tantalising hints in the Java control
panel that it will set up the association, but I suspect the feature
won't get turned on until someone goes into the Advanced section of
the Java control panel (which scares off most users).

Further, each browser has a different procedure for setting up the
associations. Opera is the only browser where the proceses is
relatively straight forward.

I have documented much of this at http://mindprod.com/jgloss/jaws.html

Sun seems to be trying to sabotage JAWS by not setting up these
associations automatically.

From a developer point of view, getting these associations set up is a
scary hurdle that blocks users from even trying my JAWS apps.

 

[akubird]

Thanks for the messesges guys.

Too bad java doesn't let us open the panel for the users.

Also, it would be very nice if they could put the icon for program on
their desktop in much easier way. Then users would feel that it is
installed as a normal program.

Thanks again

 

[Andrew Thompson]

Thanks for the messesges guys.

Yeah.. sure.

Too bad java doesn't let us open the panel for the users.

Generally the users don't want to have to deal with
that crap.

Also, it would be very nice if they could put the icon for program on
their desktop in much easier way.

I don't understand, 'they' can.

Once you get JWS working, the user is offered the option
to install the icon to the desktop, though as I recall it
happens maybe second or third time it is downloaded.

If the user is presented with a dialog at start-up,
asking 'Do you want a desktop icon? (yes | no |
don't ask again)'. What could be easier?

..Then users would feel that it is
installed as a normal program.

So 'normal' would be Microsoft, right?

It would probably be difficult to emulate the lack of
interoperability of MS software, and the regular crashes.
But is that really important to them?