GWT or Java Web Start?

Question

I am developing an client-server application where client gets updates every second (lets say 1000 fields) . I also need to draw waveforms from at client side.Server is already existing.

For this type of application which will be better ? GWT with intermediate server or Java Web Start which directly connects to existing server in terms of performance, difficulty to code ?

Answer 1

I don't see that much difference among them. I'd even say that they are separate things. Webstart is how your client will get the app: from some site.

Webstart is a bit easier to mantain, since your client will get it everytime it starts.

Deploying a stand-alone can be a bit harder, depending on your infrastructure.

Performance: just the "download" part of the webstart can be a bit heavier. I thinkg performance is almost the same, after ir began to execute.

Difficulty to code: it's just a matter of experience. Your code in both them will be almost the same, since they'll do the same things.

Mantain / upgrade : easier to mantain and upgrade the Webstart than installing a client on each machine.

Answer 2

Consider using a JFreeChart DynamicTimeSeriesCollection , seen here , distributed via java-web-start . A thousand fields in a scroll pane is possible, but JList or JTable would be considerably more efficient.

Answer 3

If the server already exists, the issue is more about the best way to connect it to the client, than whether or not to use GWT. For example, if you want server-push rather than client-pull for the updates, that changes things somewhat. However, assuming you need to do some vector graphics, and pull information from a server (I'll assume that you can use either JSON or XML to get server information), you could use several different JavaScript toolkits to do this directly, without Java or GWT needed at all.

For this type of application, Dojo would be one fair option. It has fairly good portable vector graphics, it's pure JavaScript and it is finally at a stage where documentation is OK. GWT would be a useful bet if the server didn't already exist, and where you wanted a decent set of controls usable on the client side. But for rich graphics, I'd look at JavaScript options like Dojo, Raphael, or even jQuery. Dojo does support line charts, and that might be a good basis for waveforms.

Some of this depends on the nature of the server. If it uses a different protocol from HTTP, or doesn't really provide easy JSON or XML access, you're probably better looking at a client-server package that does make the bridge between client and server simple.

GWT might be an option here, but it is designed more for robustness than for very fast development. And if you are fitting with an existing protocol, it could be a fair amount of work.