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Solution needed: Can I run an Adobe Air App solely/directly from a Flash Drive?

New Here ,
Aug 02, 2013 Aug 02, 2013

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I need the collective mind to help with this...

I'm interested in finding out if building an Adobe Air App will meet this client's requirements:

The Situation:

  1. Client currently has product catalog in 3 ring binder. 
  2. Product pages exist electronically in PDF format.
  3. Case studies and Project Profiles exist in PDF format.
  4. Client wants the flash drive to automatically update itself when it is plugged in so their users always have the latest version on their flash drive/allows for printing,saving, emailing latest info etc.

Here's the solution they came up with internally and submitted an RFQ to build.

1. Put the product catalog on a Flash Drive and have their sales teams hand deliver it to their clients.

(Their Reasoning: Their client base is an older generation and prefers having something physical in their hands)

(My Response:  Put the catalog on the web. Hide from SERPs using Robot.txt and use ACL/permissions to protect whatever you want)

..they insist on using Flash drives...go figure.

2. When the user plugs in the Flash Drive, the user would go thru the normal prompts to view the contents loaded on the flash drive.

3. UPDATING THE CONTENTS ON THE FLASH DRIVE: My client wants to be able to update the content internally/locally, upload it to a server and when the user plugs in their flash drive, my client wants the flash drive to automatically download the "new" version of the catalog and save it to the user's Flash drive.

4. They want to be able to update the App on their own. IE add links to new product PDFs, add pages etc. simple content management changes, no programmatic changes.

What I told them: From my experience..this won't work : The only way to achieve #3 is with a .exe loaded on the flash drive. The myriad of intranet/anti-virus software/firewalls/permissions scenarios will cause headaches for their users. Their user base is not tech savvy and it's imperative to adhere to the "don't make them think" principle. Hence, launching a .exe = no bueno.

I suggested creating a mobile app to solve their problem. They said no.

The userbase of too antiquated.

The client insists on handing a flash drive to their customers and prospects. "Percieved value of being hand delivered something" etc. etc..

OK....flash drive it is...:

My Proposed Solution

Build an Adobe Air App to deliver a great user experience and have it auto-update when launched or when the user tells it to.

Build something that will:

A. Reside on a flash drive

B. Run solely from a flash drive

C. When plugged in and clicked on, the app will request that the user click an update button to grab the latest catalog info.

D. When they click the "Grab the latest" the app goes out and downloads the latest files and returns a "OK! You're good to go. Click here to view the latest"

E. The app will render a simple UI (header/leftnav/body/footer) Basically a UI that looks like a simple website but with fancier menu behaviors, drop downs, submenus etc.

F. All product PDFs can be stored on flash drive as PDF and when clicked, they;ll be rendered using the users PDF reader.

e. When the app updates itself, it simply calls out to a external db and request new files. Cross reference needed updates is preferred BUT a full update is probaby best contingent on overall package size.

QUESTIONS: Things I don't know:

(I also don't know what I don't know so any additional insight is greatly appreciated!)

Can an Adobe Air App reside and be run//"live" solely from a Flash drive? If not...back to the drawing board.

Can the client be shown how to update the Adobe Air app on their own IE. Add a menu item, add menu link to document etc.?

(My thought was to simply provide screencasted walkthru videos showing their internal teams how to do it. This way, I'm having the conversation once and giving the means to be self sufficient.)

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Community Expert ,
Aug 02, 2013 Aug 02, 2013

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This forum is only to discuss how the forums operate, not products

If you go to the Forums Index http://forums.adobe.com/index.jspa

You will be able to select a forum for the Adobe product you use

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New Here ,
Aug 02, 2013 Aug 02, 2013

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Thanks John...will repost over there.

Appreciate the guidance!

Marc

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Community Expert ,
Aug 02, 2013 Aug 02, 2013

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Lots of people seem to wind up in this forum... it seems that Adobe's links to send people for help are not very specific about looking for a product forum

I hope you get your questions answered

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Mentor ,
Aug 02, 2013 Aug 02, 2013

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Its been this way every since they changed to this system created by Jive. The older system that we had was much better.  And with consolidation of disparate users (lumped together) causes more confusion as well.

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LEGEND ,
Aug 02, 2013 Aug 02, 2013

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John T Smith wrote:

Lots of people seem to wind up in this forum...

That has happened since the beginning, and we have been asking again and again and again "why do you post a product question in the Forum Comments forum"; nobody has ever provided an answer.

This poster seems to be fairly technical; I wonder if he will give us an answer...

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LEGEND ,
Aug 02, 2013 Aug 02, 2013

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Pat, it's not easy for a newcomer to get to the proper forum. If you don't believe me, try following the path that somebody who had never heard about them has to follow. The situation is even worse for those trying to get to the localized forums.

This has been reported many times, but it's one of the many "features" in these forums that don't seem to worry Jive/Adobe.

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Community Expert ,
Aug 02, 2013 Aug 02, 2013

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>one of the many "features" in these forums that don't seem to worry Jive/Adobe

As long as someone posts a "not here" or "go there" answer, Adobe doesn't need to worry

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Mentor ,
Aug 03, 2013 Aug 03, 2013

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Perhaps all of us that are regulars ought to say sorry we can't help on this. Then if a enough first timers get PO'd about it adobe or Jive would straighten it out.

Best way would be for some American company to take over Adobe and fire all the officers and BOD's and get people in that are customer centric. Rather than people looking for a fast buck.

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 03, 2013 Aug 03, 2013

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Phillip Jones wrote:

Best way would be for some American company to take over Adobe and fire all the officers and BOD's and get people in that are customer centric. Rather than people looking for a fast buck.

Microsoft has tried it many times but failed.  The only other alternative is for Google to buy t but it is not interested in Adobe.

The only viable alternative is for competitors to come out with GOOD products that can do the job "as well as", if not better, than Adobe products.  Now this is a tall order to expect anything in the short term.  The other main requirement is for hackers and pirates to do something.  There is no point in releasing a product that hackers are not interested in because that defeats the purpose.  Hackers and pirates makes the product popular not buyers!!!!!!!!!   Microsoft became very popular in 80s and 90s because pirates were able to distribute the products freely and the general population managed to learn about them.  Now you get the idea!!!!

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New Here ,
Aug 03, 2013 Aug 03, 2013

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Happy to provide an answer...

I haven't been to these forums since I set up the accont years ago, hence, my initial post in the "General" forum.

Thank you for the direction and guidance.

Best...

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