Java Web Start with PHP?

Question

I am a final year software student and we are creating a dashboard software in these days. Our primary objective is to create the software in Java, because we are a 'Java Team'. However we have a new member who knows PHP. Now the issue.

He says he can create the 'Retrieve data and Display data' part in PHP. But we have already created 'Data Input Wizard' in JavaSE. My question is, is that is OK to deploy our JavaSE app as a 'Java Web Start' ? So everything can be on server. But is that is good? I feel like a mess because in Java web start you have to download the software (am I correct?) and PHP is in web browser, ahhhhh!!

Answer 1

It is possible to deploy your javaSE application as a java-web-start app. As the name suggests, the technology is used to start an application on a client-machine by downloading the required files from a web-server.

The task of the web-server in this scenario is to host the files needed and provide a file of type .jnlp that defines what should be downloaded and from where.

here is an example .jnlp file

On a side note: Java-web-start requires a JRE to be installed on the client machine, so it 'complicates' deployment. There are possibilities to use different techiques to ensure that a jre is installed Read about Deploy java toolkit

But depending on the requirements webpage-based-input-forms might be prefered over a javase-swing-gui type application. Both php (as your friend suggests) or a java-webcontainer like tomcat or jetty could be used to implement this.

Answer 2

..is that is OK to deploy our JavaSE app as a 'Java Web Start'?

Sure. A rich client desktop app. (eg Swing based) launched using Java Web Start , can phone home to the server it came from (even when sand-boxed) and act as the consumer for a web-service created using PHP, JSP, ASP..

As mentioned by @Aksel, there needs to be a JRE on the client, that is what the deployment script aims to ensure.