Alternatives to Java and C# for Client-Side Imaging?

SkyLeach asks: "I work for a medical company which wants to provide medical imaging solutions to their clients without having to install software on the clients' machines. We had been using Java, but this is becoming more and more difficult as the Microsoft VM becomes more outdated. According to this FAQ from Microsoft, java will receive no more support at all in the future. Without using a Windows-only solution such as ActiveX, what other options are there? Keep in mind that the only absolute requirement I have been given is that the physicians never be required to install anything on their computers: Sun's JVM and Microsoft .NET, included."

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[xagon7]

Is this a web app? I am assuming so since you are talking about ActiveX.

Looks like your up a creek without a paddle. The only other option is dynamically created images into HTML pages. Possibly using some DHTML or such for some minor interactivity. If this is not acceptable, then you will simply have to be honest and state that it is nearly impossible to do this job without requiring the user to install SOMETHING. One good note however, is that I believe Microsoft is required to distrobute the SUN JVM (at some point, barring their usual delay tactics), instead of their own, but SUN now makes it so easy to install with 1 click, why is it such a pain? Just direct your users here: java.sun.com/getjava

one click, BAM (barring any rights or security issues)

Alternative to Web Start for Lockdown environments

[RhetoricalQuestion]

If by "don't want to install anything" you mean that you don't want your users to install anything, I'd suggest DeployDirector from Sitraka (www.sitraka.com) as an alternative to Web Start. Like Web Start, DeployDirector will install the client-side application (not applet), install correct version of the JRE, and ensure that the application keeps itself updated. However, with DeployDirector you don't have to have the intial step of installing Web Start. Everything is managed centrally, and DeployDirector will allow you to monitor the application, alert you in the event of an error, rollback, etc. Your users can be completely non-technical -- the tool will even work in a lockdown environment.

If, however, you mean that for security reasons nothing can exist on the client machine, you'll need to go with a wholly web-based (i.e., no applets) solution. You will need to dynamically generate images and image maps. This, however, will result in a huge number of server round-trips and will consequently result in some potentially crappy performance. You may have some options with Droplets -- which are remote GUIs -- but I don't know much if they can do this kind of imaging, and you'll still have higher server roundtrips.

If you can allow something to exist on the user's desktop, you should consider using an actual application -- there are tools to manage getting everything installed correctly without any user intervention, and the performance will be much better than running the whole thing in the browser. Because you already use an applet, it will probably be easier for you to port to a Java application.