.NET equivalent of Java Applet - runat=client ??

[swordsman]

I've heard rumors of rich-client .NET functionality running in a browser. In other words, a .NET equivalent of a Java applet or an ActiveX control.

I've found docs on .NET's equivalent of Java WebStart - a URL-accessible .NET WinForm app can be launched from a browser.

BUT: can't find info on the rich-client embedded in a browser stuff. Currently, the only option for "runat" is "server"; it seems like they're planning on adding "client" as an option here. But this is still ASP.NET, not WinForm.

Many shops don't want an app to be launched from a browser (and run outside the browser). They want the WinForm app to be embedded in a browser the way an ActiveX control is.

Any info out there on this?

Alex

 

[harmmeijer]

runat client is upscaling, for example a number checker can be upscaled if the client is using IE. J script will check if the input does contain a number.

Needles to say there is not a lot you can do on the client, .net likes to go to the server (DB and IIS) for every click the client does.
Active X controls can make your app less "submit on every click" but who trusts active x these days, in our company (and I think most companys) securety settings are a pita for every site that uses active x since the user is not allowed to install anything (including trusted active x).

 

[swordsman]

Thanks for the clarification on runat=client (however client doesn't show up yet as an option in VS.NET - is there another way to achieve this upscaling?)

Yes, most companies avoid ActiveX like the plague due to its poor security model. With .NET, however, you have much finer-grained control over what resources are accessed. Just like a Java WebStart app will prompt you to see what level of access you wish to grant (and verify that the app is properly signed), a .NET app could be granted selective access.

Running on an intranet, you can configure .NET clients to allow .NET apps to be downloaded/run from a URL, with proper permissions. But what I want to be able to do is run the .NET WinForm-like client within the browser.

I wonder if Microsoft will put out an SDK for developing a .NET version of an ActiveX control (that runs in the CLR and uses the .NET security policy).