[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] [OPEN-ILS-DEV] browser client update for 2014-04-23

[John Morris]

On Thu, 2014-05-01 at 17:32 -0400, Bill Erickson wrote:
> Hi John,
> 
> Comments inline...
> > 2.  Java either CAN or CAN'T do the deed, either one of which is BAD.
> > If it can't then the same problem exists.  And if it can it really must
> > be reported as a security bug and thus will soon be fixed... hopefully
> > before every dodgy scammer on the Internet finds the exploit.
> >
> 
> What we're doing is not a hack nor is it a security exploit.

> The Java service is simply a small Java application which runs on the local
> machine, not as a browser plugin, but as a standalone application.  Java,
> like most languages (and unlike browsers), is free to do anything on the
> desktop which the executing user can do.  It can write files, talk to
> printers, etc.

So why bother with a web based client?  I only had to write a very small
HTML5 app to realize it is a nightmarish moving target of pain.  Raise
your hand if you would willingly use HTML/CSS/DOM/JS for anything if it
wasn't the lowest common demoninator that everything reads in an almost
but not quite incompatible way.  But it looks like most of those odd
platforms just got dropped from consideration as hosts for the new staff
client, leaving only those that support the JRE.  Basically, newish
Windows, OS X and Linux or the same as Xulrunner and the current client.

Not the worlds biggest fan of Java but it works, it isn't going anywhere
soon, it is far more stable (both meanings, reliability and API churn)
than any multi-browser web based platform yet deployed, fast enough for
this purpose (certainly faster than XUL) and it is cross platform to the
same number of platforms that will support a Java app running in the
background.

> > Stackoverflow mentions that for Firefox you can manually set a config
> > value that makes all printing silent but that would be generally
> > horrible for so many reasons.  See a plugin for Chrome, a way to get
> > ActiveX to do it for IE.... nothing web based though that isn't a brutal
> > hack.
> >
> 
> Well, some people use this with Firefox to good effect at patron self-check
> kiosks.  When used in the right context, it doesn't seem so horrible.

Kiosks, self check, similar would make sense.  A staff workstation with
a browser whacked to not allow picking destination or print options
would generate.... feedback.

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