That
is a good point. Many of our clients frown at having software
installed on their machines since their machines are strictly
policed by a network administrator. However the nature of
much of our software requires them to at least be able to store
and retrieve some custom data and configuration files on
their hard drive.
Since we already need to be able to create directories and
files, the issue of putting software files in addition to
content files on their computer is basically moot. It takes up some
additional hard-drive space admittedly but the price of the amount of hard drive
space we are talking about in the grand-scheme of things is really not an issue
anymore. In fact, the speed difference between running from a hard drive
vs. running CD-Rom becomes the more prevalent issue - not where the actual
program files reside.
We have had a few packages with the requirement not to install
any software on the client as well - ironically most are CBT's as
well. For my team however, those are "fringe" applications and
don't really represent the majority of our problem space. Most of our
software is something the customer will use on a day-to-day basis, or are
critical to the customers job function. This puts the software more in the
class of an Excel or Outlook - rather than something they use for a short period
of time on a machine and never use again as CBT programs tend to be,
even most of our more "static" natured applications (E.g. reference
libriaries, manuals, etc..) get updated from time to time and are used often
enough that people tend to want them "installed" rather than requiring a
CD.
As far
as urging people to have at least one JRE, this usually hasn't been an issue -
although we haven't really done very many client side application with Java
yet. In fact, most of the Network people in Banks have less problem
installing something like a JRE because it is from a company name they recognize
and thus trust - like Sun or IBM. They have more of an issue with our
software simply because they are not familiar with our company name.
Personally, I think this is a ridiculous way to determine the "safeness
of software" as these same people tend to trust software like Outlook,
Word, and Excel because they are from Microsoft, even though the latest "wave"
of viruses to really cause people problems were distributed on these
platforms. (For Microsoft-philes out there - that isn't intended to be a
slam, but it is an accurate observation.)
-alan
ramsey.
-----Original Message-----Do You really want to urge people to install at least one JRE? I had the same problem with producing offline content of CBTs. But one of the project's requirements was not to have to install additional software...
From: Mathias Wiegard [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 2:17 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Cocoon for CD-Rom based applications?
Mat
P.S.: yes, of course I love cocoon :-)
