Re: Re: Executing External Application

Please include the list when replying. hairtwoday@gmail.com wrote:

Stut wrote:

Eww!! Eww!! and thrice EWW!! There is *never*, and I mean *never* an acceptable reason to run a GUI app in response to a web request - even on an Intranet. *NEVER!!!!* IMMHO

Bah. Pure ignorance. Here's one reason. I run Apache on my PC. I wrote a Php script that I run as a scheduled task to zip up a folder once a day. I used the WinZip command line interface. It will not run until I allow Apache to interact with the desktop. Simple, to the point, and it works.

WinZip is a GUI app. There are lots of CLI utilities for zipping - use one of those! If you're doing this as a personal utility, why is Apache getting involved in running a PHP script as a scheduled task?

Here's another. I have a photo gallery script written in Php that triggers an Irfanview slide show. It's very efficient and simple.

Never come across Irfanview, but a quick Google reveals a GUI app for viewing images. How is this useful for a web-based visitor?

You're Eww, Eww, Eww and Never!! rules are just so much hot air.

Maybe in your opinion, which you are entitled to just as much as I am. However, IMHO web-based appplications and GUI applications should not mix. Ever. But that's just my opinion. If your use is not as a web application, but rather as a way to start processes on your local machine I would question why Apache needs to be involved at all. -Stut