[AccessD] Ramblings of a nutcase

Hi John:

Many years ago I realized that I used a certain specific set of applications on a daily bases. As one of these applications was "start the browser" I replaced the default home page with my own page. I built a rudimentary home page which listed all my preferred applications like, editors, podcasts, client remote desktop, research and document directories and so on. Now all the common requirements have been scripted and it just requires a single click to launch, sometimes an input screen to prompt for script parameters, mostly a new tab is opened and/or the application could be started in an "iframe" if necessary. All of the new browsers have print options which makes it very easy. Now I can run anything on the network from a single location and sometimes when at a remote location I can run certain web applications that can monitor my or other client's networks.

A few years ago, I build a browser application so all the staff, at an office could run their business apps without having to wander searching and getting side-tracked with their non-business emails, social networks and everything they needed would be simple to find. Notices could be broadcasts to each employee and links could be added, deleted or modified at the whim of the office manager. (This web application only ran within the one office). I have not checked the client recently but I understand that they are still using the interface.

Whether you could build a web interface that would allow to run all your required applications I can not say...but I would suspect most could be. And further, if you were so inclined, you could build the web pages to look like and run like anything you wanted. You could even build something that looks like the Windows 8 UI but work just the way you want it to. ;-) ...but on general principle I would suspect not.

The main reason for this type of browser interface is to allow you to easily deploy a consistent UI across your network, potentially have access from remote locations, supply, at a mouse click any number of popdowns, notes pads, help screen etc...and it does not matter which OS you are running on or from. 

Aside: The one thing I did not mention is that if you want browser application run locally, with out reliance on the internet you have to have installed a internet server on your network and have a DNS setup...which I think you already have or can easily do if so inclined. IIS and apache webservers are free and small...or you can even run the web application via the "localhost" command as all desktops now how a basic webserver built in.

And one other note: Here is a link to a list of some methods that allow you to launch applications external from your browser, if you are using an older browser: 
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6265717/how-to-start-up-a-desktop-application-in-client-side
The new browsers have extensions that circumnavigate these restrictions but you still have be logged in as "GOD" and be in the same domain but would you really want some script-kiddie logging in remotely and formatting you drive via your master browser page? But of course if you can login from a remote site to your server you can accomplish anything.

Jim  

----- Original Message -----
From: "John W Colby" <jwcolby at gmail.com>
To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving" <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:56:27 PM
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Ramblings of a nutcase

Jim,

 >The truth of the matter is that OS FEs are history. Anyone with a little bit of effort can make 
own front end via the browser;

Yes, except in MY job, and My day, I open the remote desktop client to get to a server running in 
New York (from NC), in that remote desktop I:

Open SSMS and copy an entire database template to a new name. Then I build a new copy of a table 
structure and copy a subset of data from one database / table to my new database / table.  Do that 
again for a second table.  Build a set of queries to perform counts on the data contained.  Open 
Excel, paste the counts from SSMS into the spreadsheet and save as to a file in a directory named to 
match the order I am working on.  Then I open Thunderbird to write an email, attaching the 
spreadsheet I just created and send it off.  Head off to do something similar  again.

Open  an email containing an attached spreadsheet of zips.  Save the excel sheet off to a directory 
named to match the order.  Open SSMS and import that list of zips into a database.  Run a query to 
get a list of counts.  Save in the same directory as the excel sheet I just received from the 
client.  Open Thunderbird, attach the spreadsheet I just created.

Receive an order spreadsheet.  Copy an order template to a new database.   Open that new order 
database.  Modify a set of already defined views in SSMS to pull a set of data.  Run a canned set of 
stored procedures to populate existing data tables with specific records.  Open a C# custom program 
and tell it to start outputting the data just pulled (pointing this program to my new order 
database)  into 500K record CSV files and shoveling those files off to a set of Virtual Machines 
running Accuzip, a third party address validation software.  My custom written program chunks for 
several hours, exporting a few million records, and reimporting the results back into SQL Server.

Switch back to my desktop, and I open several more remote desktops into these virtual machines and 
window them such that I can actually watch progress windows of Accuzip, to monitor the progress of 
all these VMS doing their jobs.   When Accuzip finishes (on all the VMS) I turn back to SSMS on the 
RD talking to NY and run another set of stored procedures to winnow through the data.  I then open 
another custom written C# program to export a few million records out to CSV files into that same 
custom directory mentioned earlier.  I zip them up using Winrar, dragging various and sundry files 
into ZIP archives.  Whereupon I turn to CuteFTP to upload the new Zip files to an FTP address 
dictated by the client.

Having done that I open thunderbird to send an email to my client and his client, with Excel 
attachments and PDF documents telling them that the order has shipped.

And THAT is why Windows 8 SUCKS so badly.  I use Windows, ALL DAY every day.  This is not something 
that is a cash register with a fixed set of screens.  This is a dynamic, back and forth, opening 
various and sundry third party applications from Microsoft (office / SQL Server Management Studio) 
CuteFTP, My own hand written C# stuff, WinRar, Thunderbird mail client, the Windows explorer client, 
Chrome browser.  I am constantly switching between open apps, most of the time windowed so that I 
can see the pieces and parts, drag files back and forth, drop files into directories on network 
shares and so forth.

You can say all you want that "everyone does simple shit" but that simply isn't true.  Many many 
MANY people have real, pretty complex jobs which require us to do a wide variety of tasks in many 
different third party apps, and even custom written apps, ALL DAY LONG, every day.

So for ME the OS FE HOSTS all these things, these applications that I need to use.  It needs to do 
it's job and NOT GET IN THE WAY, EVER.  It needs to window my third party apps.  It needs to allow 
me to drag and drop and cut and paste between open apps quickly and efficiently.  It needs to allow 
me to instantly SEE what I have open in my taskbar, and get at each instance of each application.  I 
have ZERO USE for pretty tiles with weather changing and flashing crap at me, or switching me back 
to some new age "modern" user interface because Steve Balmer thinks that is what I should be doing now.

I sell my time, whether it is doing this or writing programs.  If windows refuses to co-operate that 
costs me money.  If Windows decides that I really should be looking at Chrome full screen that costs 
me money.  I KNOW WHAT I NEED, I know how things need to be arranged, WINDOWS DOES NOT.

The OS needs to GET OUT OF MY FACE and let me do my job.

Windows 7 does exactly that.  I never figured out how to get Windows 8 out of my face.

And GOD FORBID if you come at me with a browser to manage my job. I will hunt you down and shoot you!!!

John W. Colby

Reality is what refuses to go away
when you do not believe in it