Future of the Author Component?

[PaulHayslett]

Given Chrome's phase-out of NPAPI support and the general move to mobile devices, what is the future of the Author Component? Of the WebApp?

I have a client who would like to move to an all-web configuration. The WebApp does not currently meet their authoring needs, but getting the Author Component to run in modern browsers is already difficult and likely to become more so. I'm not sure how to counsel them.

Do you anticipate that Java plug-ins will evolve to run comfortably on modern browsers and mobile devices? And so do you anticipate maintaining the Author Component as the flagship web-based product? Or is the plan to beef up the WebApp over time until it can replace the Author Component?

Basically, can my client confidently roll out an Author Component solution now or should they sit tight until the WebApp evolves to meet their needs?

[Radu]

Dear Paul,

Please see some answers below:

Do you anticipate that Java plug-ins will evolve to run comfortably on modern browsers and mobile devices? And so do you anticipate maintaining the Author Component as the flagship web-based product? Or is the plan to beef up the WebApp over time until it can replace the Author Component?

Unfortunately we cannot anticipate anything. Looking at how things evolved so far, it seems that everything is being done to make it harder to run applets, even signed applets.
So yes, we plan to improve the WebApp and in time have it replace the Applet based on the Author Component. Of course, the Author Component could still be used to build standalone small applications for editing XML in certain specialized ways.

Basically, can my client confidently roll out an Author Component solution now or should they sit tight until the WebApp evolves to meet their needs?

What exact needs do you have on the WebApp part? The Applet should still work decently in Firefox and IE, but it needs to be manually enabled in Chrome.

Regards,
Radu

[PaulHayslett]

Thank you for the response.

My understanding is that Chrome support for NPAPI will soon go away completely; there will be no way to enable it. And while I have found the Author Component to be quite solid under Firefox, I've found it to be, um, not so bulletproof under IE. (I'm sure that's IE's problem, not the applet's.) Edge does not support java at all. The ball is in Oracle's court, I guess, to find a solution for all of this.

Anyway, my client uses a couple of robust custom frameworks based on their own schemas, with customized menus and toolbars and forms and element folding and actions written in java. I am just now investigating to see how much of this works under the WebApp and how much would require the full Author Component. At a minimum, they'll want to drop into text mode from time to time. Some of the other bits might be negotiable.

Thanks again for your help. It provides me with enough information for planning a migration strategy with the client.