Comparison of running options

The Unravel program may be run in three basic ways (Applet, Web Start and Jar Direct). These are compared in the following table.

Running Mode

Advantages

Disadvantages

Applet

Runs direct from website browser with no permanent download of program required.

Provides best means for users to quickly assess whether they wish to download program.

Not allowed by some browsers.

Writing to the user's hard disk by the program is not permitted (although user may elect to copy text presented by the program and store it external to the program).

Other operational restrictions apply.

Web Start

Has high level of security checking.

Downloads and runs on all platforms provided security conditions are satisfied.

Checks for Unravel program updates when run on-line (the default way the program runs).

Can be run off-line (but not as straight-forward as it used to be).

May be difficult to satisfy security conditions.

Start-up time is long.

Security checking questions can further increase start-up time.

The downside of checking for updates is that it will unnecessarily increase start-up time when such checking is unwarranted as would usually apply for the multiple times the Unravel program needs to be run when unscrambling a cube of large size.

Jar Direct

Very robust form of implementation (very unlikely to crash because of jre or other updates).

Guaranteed to always run off-line.

Start-up time is short.

An installation add-on is available for users running Windows.

Users (especially those not running on Windows) have some extra first-time actions for most convenient operation of the uninstalled program.

No Unravel program updates are incorporated as for Web Start.

See also Preferred means of running program.