Re: [Gmod-ajax] AJAX GBrowse poster feedback from RECOMB

[Suzanna L. <su...@be...>]

On Apr 30, 2007, at 1:10 PM, Mitch Skinner wrote:

> Hi Ann!  Congratulations on your professorship.
>
> On Mon, 2007-04-30 at 13:11 -0500, Ann Loraine wrote:
>> Did anybody mention Java Web Start as an alternative method of
>> deploying java applications?
>
> I've had a nice experience using Web Start applications before, and it
> does solve some of the problems with applets.
>
> I think the biggest objection to Java (that I haven't seen anyone
> mention in this thread yet) is that it's been tried.  Given your  
> list of
> links, it looks like people have already implemented genome browsing
> using Java Web Start, and still UCSC seems to be the browser everyone
> uses.

Yes, but I think that we also have to consider that it might just be  
the data. If you're looking for actual genomic data they've made it  
really easy for people to add their own. The data is the most  
comprehensive and up-to-date set available, with one-stop shopping.  
The browser is not the primary consideration here.

>
> Admittedly, my direct experience with non-computational biologists is
> mostly limited to human and mouse researchers, but talking with people
> at the RECOMB poster session reinforced my sense that UCSC is the main
> one.
>
> So while the language question does deserve consideration, I think the
> more important question is, why is UCSC so popular?  It can't be 100%
> inertia.  The Java drawbacks that people have mentioned are all good
> points, and I'd add that java app(let)s are often not entirely a  
> part of
> the web, in that it takes extra effort to make them bookmarkable and
> linkable and to follow links from within them.  And the network  
> effects
> you get from being part of the web are pretty huge.  Which reminds me
> that we need to do a better job of linking out and being bookmarkable
> and linkable.
>
> The Java Web Start approach seems even more non-web than applets.   
> Is it
> even possible to have an html link that takes you to a specific region
> in a Java Web Start-using genome browser?
>
> The volume of data that UCSC makes available is also a pretty big
> strength.
>
> Also, maybe this is a cheap shot, but on the PlantIGB page I see this:
> ================
> Click here if your computer has at least 1 gig of memory.
> Click here if your computer has at least 786 meg of memory.
> Click here if your computer has at least 512 meg of memory.
> ================
> which is very much not the face I'd like to present to the
> non-computer-savvy biologists out there.
>
> Regards,
> Mitch
>
>
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