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 We had been using Java, but this is becoming more and more difficult as the Microsoft VM becomes more outdated.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."

Comments

Re:Ahhh. Wednesdays!

[mchappee]

>I love Wednesdays! It's getting closer to Friday,
>Monday is but a memory, and the lamest slashdot
>articles are in!

>If you want to have a client side solution, I'm
>sorry bud, but you are going to have to install
>*something*.

Yes, Wednesdays. That's when the ignorant shoot off their mouths and piss us professional developers off. First, a word about project scope. If the client says "Don't install anything on my computers", then guess what dude. You don't install anything.

Next, you do not have to install anything to achieve the goal. Using DHTML and Javascript I created an app that allows my client to enlarge, shrink, rotate, and crop an image without ever going back to the server once the image was displayed. That's what was required. I could have done more if it matched scope. Oh, and it works in IE, Mozilla and Konqueror.

Take a good look at what your have at your disposal. There's a couple of rich languages there, and many parameters that you can tweak to make things look like their using a client side app.

VBscript? Hehe, cute.

Matthew