Hi Peter
Just a quick note: if the student needs to download a standalone app to make
the registry entries then why can't that app be used to run the stacks. This
way the stacks are still separate from the standalone and are still small
for emailing and stuff. Also if they use winzip they should be able to zip
the standalone and all their stacks onto a 1.44 floppy for easy transport
home and to other workstations.
Regards
Monte
>From: Peter Reid <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: Re: MC File Association Registry Entries
>Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2000 13:34:24 +0000
>
>Hi Monte
>
>Thanks for the detailed response, most helpful.
>
>>Firstly I can't see why it isn't easier to have a copy of the player
>>on each PC (what does 50 students opening different instances of the
>>same .exe file at the same time do to your network?)but I wont go
>>into that.
>
>True, but the hit is only at application load time as MC is
>memory-resident when running, so there's no continued network traffic
>once loaded for a given session. I haven't come to a firm conclusion
>on this yet, but I wanted to avoid the students having to install an
>application, especially as they have floating accounts which they can
>access using any of 100s of workstations. So I'd want them to
>install MC in their data space rather than in any standard program
>location. Also, in general, the institution doesn't like to
>encourage students installing software on the workstations!
>
>>Lastly If instead of using the mc.exe and the tools stack as a
>>player why not build a standalone with these exact same files in it.
>>Edit the icons if you want with an icon editor. Then you can save
>>stacks that you want students to use as "*.reid" files. Name the
>>standalone as PeterReid.exe and set the registry entries the same
>>way. This way you have no interference with MetaCard programs
>>installed on any ot these workstations.
>
>The reason I'm going for a stack rather than a standalone is that I
>want the student to download several different copies and save and
>run them separately. Each is in fact an electronic project file
>which will retain information from session to session and ultimately
>be e-mailed back to their tutor for assessment. So, each student
>will download a stack for each project and use it as a record of
>their activity in the project. If I make these standalones, then
>each will be that much bigger to download and to e-mail back to the
>tutor at the end of the course. Whilst I could use store their work
>in separate files, I wanted to keep it REALLY simple, these are NOT
>IT students, in fact, they often struggle with IT! By having the
>Player on a server and keeping everything inside a single stack, it
>makes things very simple and keeps things small as well. Typically,
>a student will undertake up to 4 projects. So, all they need to do
>is download and run a mini app which sets up the necessary registry
>entries pointing to the server Player and then they can download and
>double-click open their project files at any time. Finally, I'd like
>the option of providing support for the occasional Mac user as well
>without having to provide Mac standalones as well.
>
>Thanks again.
>
>Peter
>
>--
>--------------------------------------------------------
>Peter Reid
>Reid-IT Limited, Loughborough, Leics., UK
>Tel: +44 (0)1509 268843 Fax: +44 (0)870 052 7576
>E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Web: http://www.reidit.co.uk
>
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