Re: Another Java Thread

[Steve Bohrer <skbohrer () SIMONS-ROCK EDU>]

On Apr 23, 2013, at 8:47 PM, "Shettler, David" <dshettle () HOLYCROSS EDU> wrote:

>  We go a bit further and request that they move off of client dependencies altogether.  No java, no flash, 
[…]

Sorry if this is a naive question, but when you ask vendors to eliminate        "client dependencies", are you just 
asking for specific binaries for each platform and OS, or is there some other scheme I'm missing? 

Our Banner student records database, which is hosted at our parent institution, Bard, is accessed through a web 
browser, and runs as a Java application. Admittedly, keeping Java working and up-to-date has been a huge hassle through 
the years. However, we have staff in various departments with Windows, Macs, and Linux, and there have been multi-year 
transitions and hardware changes within these major groups. Java (once it is properly installed/updated) mostly just 
works for whatever a given department has on their desks. At least, there has not been any period, from Win XP through 
WIn 8, and OS X 10.4 on PPC through 10.8 on Intel, where we have not been able to make Banner work for staff who need 
it.

Maybe it would have been easier to have had individual builds for each platform through the years, but it does not seem 
obvious that it would have been...

Steve Bohrer
Network Admin, ITS
Bard College at Simon's Rock
413-528-7645