Getting rid of the Web client: use SWING!

[calexandre]

We have been running Alfresco Labs 3.0c for a few weeks now at our company.

The major improvement from the feedback I get would be the availability of a decent client interface (we are using the web interface and the OS native webdav client Web Folder).

At this point we need to distinguish between both possibilities … on the one hand we get user friendliness by using Web Folder … on the other hand we get extended functionalities with the Web interface. But we found nothing out there that would offer both: user-friendliness + functionalities.

Even though Alfresco Web GUI developers have done their best, the interface remains so "webish" … With all the weaknesses associated with it: weak desktop interaction, numerous clicks to perform simple actions that would require only one simple click on a decent GUI, …

The first and simplest idea that comes to my mind is to turn to a Java Swing desktop client that would talk to the Alfresco server through a standard API (the API is already existing). Why keeping on developing a web interface? Nobody likes that … Deployment? We are not in the 20th Century anymore! Look at Java Web Start…

The client application could even transparently maintain a local cache of recently accessed files, and offer all the bells and whistles one can dream of.

Has anyone ever heard about such a project?

[mikeh]

I suspect the easier route might be to use something like Adobe AIR instead - "thick" clients are much harder to manage and maintain.

By the way, are you talking about the JSF client (/alfresco) or Share (/share)..?

Thanks,
Mike

[calexandre]

Mike,

Thank you so much for the advice about AIR. I will have a look at it!

I started a light/fat client debate in my previous message but this is certainly not the right place for that. I just wanted to mention that people went to consider light clients as a replacement for thick clients primarily because the latter were too demanding in terms of network resources. Today that is less of an issue, so why bother with unefficient tools such as <Textfield>s, <Textarea>s or other infamous <Select>s?

But I will be launching a political party in favour of fat clients another time …

Many thanks again for your suggestion,

Chris