website that access harddrive, webcam and network

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Friedrich.Schick@googlemail.com - 20 Sep 2007 10:53 GMT

Hey,

i want to write an applet/application embedded in a website, that can
access users networking, file system and the web cam. The applet/
application should be able to interact with other website components
using Javascript.

Does Java webstart the job?
- Access harddrive. ok
- Access networking. ?
- Access webcam.?
- Embedded in a website and interacting with other components. ?

Or is there another way to do this besides writing my own browser
plugins?

Thanks, Friedrich

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Andrew Thompson - 20 Sep 2007 11:16 GMT

...

> want to write an applet/application embedded in a website, that can
>access users networking, file system and the web cam. The applet/
>application should be able to interact with other website components
>using Javascript.
>
>Does Java webstart the job?

No. JWS based applications or applets cannot be
controlled (or configured) using JavaScript. Perhaps this
demo. of the applet and application forms of JTest can
describe it better for you..
<http://www.physci.org/jws/#jtest>

>- Access harddrive. ok

Yep. JWS apps. can do that if signed and trusted,
but if using the JNLP API to access files, it can even be
achieved in a sandboxed app. See demo here..
<http://www.physci.org/jws/#fs>

>- Access networking. ?

Yep. JWS sandboxed apps. can 'phone home' to the
originating server. Fully trusted apps. can access any
site (assuming the site itself allows access to Java apps.).

>- Access webcam.?

Yup. Requires a signed and trusted app., Sun is not
about to allow 'us' to 'eavesdrop' on the user without
full trust.

>- Embedded in a website and interacting with other components. ?

That is the tricky bit. It is basically only open to
either an..
a) Applet embedded in a web page**. Or less 'interactive'..
b) Java Web Start apps. that are configured on the
fly using an active server to generate unique launch
(JNLP) files.

** Trying to get any sort of applet working in an embedded
web page (reliably) is difficult enough, throw in JS interaction,
and you are looking at 'a world of trouble'.

>Or is there another way to do this besides writing my own browser
>plugins?

* Note that the word 'I' is always Upper Case in English.
*Always* - no exceptions.

Oh, and my slang use of 'Yep' and 'Yup' simply translates
to 'Yes'.

Signature

Andrew Thompson
http://www.athompson.info/andrew/

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Ben Phillips - 21 Sep 2007 14:26 GMT

> * Note that the word 'I' is always Upper Case in English.
> *Always* - no exceptions.

Might also want to tell him that when he's writing the name of his
application to appear in window title bars he should remember that
there's no letter 'I' in "spyware" either...;)

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Andrew Thompson - 21 Sep 2007 15:08 GMT

>> * Note that the word 'I' is always Upper Case in English.
>> *Always* - no exceptions.
>
>Might also want to tell him that when he's writing the name of his
>application to appear in window title bars he should remember that
>there's no letter 'I' in "spyware" either...;)

A spy that comes with all the warnings of a trusted
Java app., or one in a sandbox that uses the JNLP
methods, is not so much a 'Die Nadel' level of spy
(never realise who he is until he punctures your heart
with his stilleto knife), but more a James Bond
(all explosions, fast cars and trashy women).

Signature

Andrew Thompson
http://www.athompson.info/andrew/

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Roedy Green - 21 Sep 2007 17:22 GMT

On Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:53:12 -0000, "Friedrich.Schick@googlemail.com"
<Friedrich.Schick@googlemail.com> wrote, quoted or indirectly quoted
someone who said :

>Does Java webstart the job?
>- Access harddrive. ok
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>Or is there another way to do this besides writing my own browser
>plugins?

There are two choices, both require signing the code.

Signed Applet, see http://mindprod.com/jgloss/signedapplet.html
and Java Web Start see http://mindprod.com/jgloss/javawebstart.html

This looks complicated. Most likely you will be happiest with
JAWS,especially if you have aux jars to load. With a signed Applet,
you must fit into a tight mould.

Signature

Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
The Java Glossary
http://mindprod.com

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