[THIN] Re: CE thins and nFuse

  • From: "Braebaum, Neil" <Neil.Braebaum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 17:59:07 +0100

Hyper-Text-Application - basically a HTML / web page on performance
enhancing drugs... *or* a huge security hole, depending on your
perspective ;-)
 
Another way of looking at it, is being able to do enhanced stuff that
previously would have required server-side scripting, but available on
the client-side. So you can make use of a less restrictive security
model for the browser's code, on the client-side, without requiring a
web server back-end to support it. In practice, it becomes use of the
browser as your UI for application code you want to write.
 
Neil

        -----Original Message-----
        From: King, Jesse [mailto:JKing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
        Sent: 23 September 2003 17:25
        To: 'thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'
        Subject: [THIN] Re: CE thins and nFuse
        
        
        I feel naive - can someone tell me what HTA is?
         
        Thanks.
         
         

                -----Original Message-----
                From: Braebaum, Neil
[mailto:Neil.Braebaum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
                Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 11:56 AM
                To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
                Subject: [THIN] Re: CE thins and nFuse
                
                
                Just thought I'd chip in with some feedback - whether
it's of interest, or not, is debatable ;-)
                 
                My NFuse users are currently Mac users. I had considered
NFuse / WI or possibly MSAM for a few hundred remote locations that
currently access a published desktop via legacy Wyse Winterms (mainly
2315s some later 3000 series).
                 
                I've always deployed a very stripped down desktop -
mandatory profiles, extensive policy and scripting. I had a request to
make the desktop more "simple", appliance like, if you will - and with
the ability to have a portion of the screen as a sort of notice board,
with updateable messages.
                 
                I did consider a portal approach, here - either modified
NFuse / WI or MSAM. Neither would have particularly suited the cosmetic
look and feel that management wanted, nor truly the flexibility. And
with MSAM, I would have no obvious single-sign-on, with a published
browser session (at least without other products).
                 
                So what I've done is stripped down the desktop even
more, removed all icons, and have an extremely small / basic start menu
(basically just has a link to the "desktop", and logout), and run a HTA
as the desktop. My reason for still having a desktop, even being as
minimal (truly!) as it is, is that the flexibility of being able to
switch between apps using the taskbar, was still likely needed.
                 
                So I run a HTA as the desktop (it appears like the
wallpaper, really - no borders or menus) - the source isn't viewable,
nor does it appear in the taskbar. Only one instance of it can run. On
the HTA is big, chunky, buttons to the main, line-of-business apps -
which is what was really required - the simplest, most obvious link to
the business app(s), and an upper portion of the HTA is a frame
displaying (with fairly frequent refreshes) a sort of notice board. I've
also written a sister HTA for the operations people so that they can
update the message / noticeboard area with their HTML file of choice (it
is constricted within it's frame, though, in the HTA).
                 
                Some of this was based on the rationale that without a
local browser, the NFuse / WI model may still be tenable - but there are
other choices, too. This was mainly driven by business needs to make the
desktop as simple and as encouraging to make the business apps as easy
as possible to get to.
                 
                Neil

                        -----Original Message-----
                        From: Ron Oglesby [mailto:roglesby@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

                        Sent: 23 September 2003 16:24
                        To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
                        Subject: [THIN] Re: CE thins and nFuse
                        
                        

                        I have done this (but not for a thousand users)
I am also planning one right now for about 600 or so to access this way.


                         

                        Any. The concept with NFuse is simple. Have the
CE client launch to anonymous NFuse (published IE). Then the users can
sign into that and launch applications.

                        Alternatively you can have a STRIPPED down
desktop with a taskbar.  From within the desktop they can use NFuse. BUT
I have found that often times it is better to give users the ability to
run all the apps right from that desktop (even using the passthrough
client to launch apps from other silos)

                         

                        But to address your individual questions:

                         

                        Is it possible to achieve a user bombproof
environment with nFuse (Web Interface) on CE devices and still maintain
the taskbar? 

                        Maintaining a taskbar mean giving them a desktop
(even if stripped) Bomb proof would mean mandatory profiles with maybe a
flex or hybrid mixed in. That is about as close to bomb proof as you can
get. BUT any desktop is a hole, never forget that.

                        What are the pitfalls of CE devices, other than
the inability to have any local apps?. 

                        Not anything you would want to run.... And
generally these devices don't have enough CE to do anything other than
connect to a server.

                        How was your experience with implementation? 

                        Been good in most cases. I don't like giving the
user a desktop if I don't have to. If I do I give them mandatory
profiles. If they gripe about saving settings I then add in the flex or
hybrid profile kit so the admins determine what is saved and not the
user.

                        How do users like the environment? 

                        Just fine once they get done gripping. You have
to find a balance between giving them anything they want and not giving
them anything. I found that these are easiest when moving them from
older slower machines.

                        Any other comments? 

                        Not now.

                         

                         

                         


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