Java on the client web browser

Hi all

I am currently analysing options for developing a web-based program. I was
wondering what to use on the client's web browser. The program will require
a lot of data entry and validation, preferably on the client side. I could
use HTML and script, but I was wondering whether a Java aplet would be
better? I have heard reports that it is slow (slower), or doesn't run well
unless a certain VM is used.... Are these true? Would anybody like to share
some thoughts, experiences? If I was to use HTML, the web browser would
connect to the web server which would use ASP/PHP to instantiate COM/CORBA
components that interact with the database.

Thanks for thoughts, ideas, etc

Mark

Mark <please.dont@send.me.mail-use.the.newsgroup> wrote in message
news:3935c1ce@news.devx.com...
> Hi all
>
> I am currently analysing options for developing a web-based program. I was
> wondering what to use on the client's web browser. The program will
require
> a lot of data entry and validation, preferably on the client side. I could
> use HTML and script, but I was wondering whether a Java aplet would be
> better? I have heard reports that it is slow (slower), or doesn't run well
> unless a certain VM is used.... Are these true? Would anybody like to
share
> some thoughts, experiences? If I was to use HTML, the web browser would
> connect to the web server which would use ASP/PHP to instantiate COM/CORBA
> components that interact with the database.
>
> Thanks for thoughts, ideas, etc
>
> Mark
>
It depends on what kind of validation you want to do. If you just want to
validate that an input field is not blank, say, you can do that with
JavaScript within HTML. No Java applets required. But if you want to check
that a product number is one of the 16,000 valid product numbers in your
item file, it gets more complicated. (Don't even think of putting them all
in a dropdown list for me to choose from!) One option is to accept any
input with an HTML form and send it to the server. The server will check it
and send back one (dynamically generated) HTML if it's valid, another HTML
if it isn't. If you choose to do this with a Java applet, the applet can
talk to the server (various techniques available here) and get the number
validated.

The data validation is mainly checking for numbers, percentages, currency as
well as blanks. I know I could do this in JavaScript, but wasn't sure as to
how much IE and NS differ to make this a problem. I want to have it as
multi-platform as possible.

Interesting thought about the server-side verification, because I must do
that anyway, in case somebody tries to hack the HTML forms and pass bad
data. This would not be necessary if I was using Java though....


"Paul Clapham" <pclapham@core-mark.com> wrote in message
news:3936787a$1@news.devx.com...
>
> Mark <please.dont@send.me.mail-use.the.newsgroup> wrote in message
> news:3935c1ce@news.devx.com...
> > Hi all
> >
> > I am currently analysing options for developing a web-based program. I
was
> > wondering what to use on the client's web browser. The program will
> require
> > a lot of data entry and validation, preferably on the client side. I
could
> > use HTML and script, but I was wondering whether a Java aplet would be
> > better? I have heard reports that it is slow (slower), or doesn't run
well
> > unless a certain VM is used.... Are these true? Would anybody like to
> share
> > some thoughts, experiences? If I was to use HTML, the web browser would
> > connect to the web server which would use ASP/PHP to instantiate
COM/CORBA
> > components that interact with the database.
> >
> > Thanks for thoughts, ideas, etc
> >
> > Mark
> >
> It depends on what kind of validation you want to do. If you just want to
> validate that an input field is not blank, say, you can do that with
> JavaScript within HTML. No Java applets required. But if you want to
check
> that a product number is one of the 16,000 valid product numbers in your
> item file, it gets more complicated. (Don't even think of putting them
all
> in a dropdown list for me to choose from!) One option is to accept any
> input with an HTML form and send it to the server. The server will check
it
> and send back one (dynamically generated) HTML if it's valid, another HTML
> if it isn't. If you choose to do this with a Java applet, the applet can
> talk to the server (various techniques available here) and get the number
> validated.
>
>
>

Well it depends in future their will be good bandwidth and
more graphic interface to applets as well.
even with javascript/html you can do wonders
see www.webos.org
thanks
sheetal


"Mark" <please.dont@send.me.mail-use.the.newsgroup> wrote:
>Hi all
>
>I am currently analysing options for developing a web-based program. I was
>wondering what to use on the client's web browser. The program will require
>a lot of data entry and validation, preferably on the client side. I could
>use HTML and script, but I was wondering whether a Java aplet would be
>better? I have heard reports that it is slow (slower), or doesn't run well
>unless a certain VM is used.... Are these true? Would anybody like to share
>some thoughts, experiences? If I was to use HTML, the web browser would
>connect to the web server which would use ASP/PHP to instantiate COM/CORBA
>components that interact with the database.
>
>Thanks for thoughts, ideas, etc
>
>Mark
>
>