Use Guiserver as a rich client. Is it possible?

ale870 · Post by **ale870** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:53 am

My idea (and my question): since java runs over any device (almost...), for example mobile phone, can I use (I don't know how) GuiServer to execute scripts running in remote locations?
I'll try to explain better.
I want to create a rich client app for my desktop and my cellular phone, using newLisp. The problem is newLisp does not run cellular phones.
So I could use a rich-light java client (GuiServer?) to render data for programs running in remote computers.
The concept is similar to a browser web, or (better) to X-Window. Rendering system can be installed even on Windows, and the real application will run on a remote Linux server.
I think if you could create something like that, it could be really a "killer-application"!!! :-)

Lutz · Post by **Lutz** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 12:51 pm

A newLISP-GS applications consists of a Java part running guiserver.jar and a newLISP part running the Lisp source. Both already function as a client-server system, communicating over Tcp/Ip and both parts could reside on different computers. Just like X-Windows or the previous newLISP tk (9.1.1) system doing the same with Tcl/Tk.

The problem is, that the part rendering the display, is also the heavy Java part. newLISP itself is very small, only about 200KB on disk and a few hundred Kbyte more in memory. The Java part is multi megabyte on disk and in memory.

But many upcoming mobile phones, e.g. the iPhone handle browser based web applications very well, and in this case you don't even need newLISP installed on your phone.

Cormullion wrote the first newLISP iPhone application here: http://lambdalator.nfshost.com/

Lutz

ps: congratulations to your Italian blog

cormullion · Post by **cormullion** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 4:29 pm

I'm not sure when a web page becomes 'a web application', though. :)

ale870 · Post by **ale870** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:09 pm

cormullion wrote:I'm not sure when a web page becomes 'a web application', though. :)

When you have no more HTML to render the client, but a real app (like java) and send data and layout separated (e.g.: using xml).

cormullion · Post by **cormullion** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:19 pm

The wikipedia article on web applications describes a distinction between thin and thick clients, and also includes the delightful phrase 'somewhat thick client'. (I've worked with a few of those.. :)

I wonder how 'thick' the Java newLISP gui server is - my old mobile phone used to run Java games. They were all rubbish, but didn't take too long to fire up. Perhaps it would work that way round.

ale870 · Post by **ale870** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 6:51 pm

Well, I think the difference between thin and thick is the thin client specialized front-end interface for back-end logic.
Basically a thin client (or better: rich-client) is a client with similar web browser functionalities but with more sophisticated GUI system, access to the local system (full access), etc...