Problems with the Web Interface and AccuTrack's Solution
Web applications offer many advantages but are much more limited than desktop applications. To explain these better, let’s look at how the web interface works.
Some
terms:
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URL: Universal Resource Locator. The http address you use to load a web page. |
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Browser: Application used to view web pages. Internet Explorer and Netscape navigator are the most common browsers. |
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Web Server: The computer that has the data you want to access via the web. The web server takes requests from web browsers and responds by sending HTML pages. |
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HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language. An HTML page is really a text file that contains instructions on how to display the various components of a web page. |
How
it works
When you enter a URL into your web browser, the browser will locate the server computer on the Internet and will send it a request. The web server will process the request and respond by sending an HTML page to the browser. The browser will receive and then display the html page. When you click on a button or make any other action on the HTML page, the browser will make another request to the server, and the server will process the request and send another html page.
Web
Interface Advantages
The web interface offers these advantages:
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Universal accessibility: With the web interface, students can schedule appointments and view their schedules from anywhere with a web browser. |
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Operating System Independent: Students can schedule appointments with any web browser, whether it is running on a Windows or Mac computer. |
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Availability: The web server can be up 24 hours a day 7 days a week, so students can schedule or cancel appointments whenever they like. |
Web
Interface Limitations
The web interface comes with some disadvantages, including:
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Static pages: Unlike a desktop application, your computer does not have any live data to work with – just html text pages. This means that each time you want to view a different piece of data, your browser must make a new request to the server, which will process the request and creates a new html page for your browser to display. |
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Limited Interface: The web interface is limited to what the web browser /html can support. This is why most web pages consist of mostly buttons and list boxes. While more advanced controls are possible on the web via Java and Active X, pages with these elements may not be compatible with all browsers and might take a long time to load. |
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Inefficient Updates: Each time you want to view a new piece of data on a web page, the browser must get a new HTML page to display. In a desktop application, when you want to review a new piece of data, the data on the screen gets updated immediately without having to reload the whole screen again. |
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Limited Size: Since HTML pages must travel from the server to your browser via the Internet, their size must be small or they will take a long time to load. This restricts the contents of the web page. |
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Slower Response: With the web interface, response time is limited by the connection speed. Even if you have a fast web server and fast software to process your requests, you are still limited by how fast the data can travel between your computer and the web server. Slow phone connections and Internet congestion will greatly affect the speed of your web application. |
AccuTrack’s
Approach
AccuTrack offers you the benefits of the web interface without restricting you to its limitations! We do this by offering you two interfaces for your data: a desktop interface for powerful and quick access from inside your center and a web interface for remote access outside your center.
The powerful desktop interface of AccuTrack gives you quick and direct access to your data without the slowdowns of the web. It also enables you to work with live data via the flexible desktop interface. For example, the desktop interface for the Appointments Scheduler gives you the power to schedule appointments on multiple days of the week for multiple weeks and for multiple students - all in a single pass! The desktop application also has powerful controls that cannot be emulated by HTML.
The web interface offers students remote access to the appointments 24 hours a day. Students can schedule appointments, cancel an appointment, or view their schedules from the convenience of their homes. The staff members can also view the status of their appointments on line.
In short, AccuTrack gives you the best of the two worlds without sacrificing power or accessibility.
Click here for information about AccuTrack.
