A little problem I'm hoping someone can help me with.
I'm working on a trouble-tracking system, in which problems are logged and assigned to various individuals for resolution. All well and good, except that once someone has been assigned, I would like to notify them somehow that it has happened.
I have not found any approach by which I can get Java to pop up a message dialog on someone else's PC. I can pop 'em up all day long on mine, but not on another PC in the network.
I have considered sending them an e-mail, but I am currently working in J2SE, not J2EE. While I have no theoretical objection to upgrading to enterprise edition, I would have to do some research and planning first, and I'd like a quicker solution if possible.
If you don't want to use windows' "net send" command, you have to start a client application on the users computer which receives the message and displays it.
Most securty systems try to PREVENT starting applications on a client computer.
You always have to start at least ONE application on the client computer directly, this application then can launch other applications. If you create an applet for example, the clients Internet Browser launches this applet.
Sending net sends (and I don't think they pose a serious threat internally) or starting applications remotely doesn't sound all that practical. There's nothing more irritating than to see a message pop-up while you are in the middle of something or, to see an application conjure up all of a sudden. I think your initial thought on sending emails is neat solution, and also provides a nice way for users to log a history assignments, see what has been done and mark off completed assignments.
For the time you spend learning how to send net sends or startup client apps, you could probably get email notifications working right away. Here's a nice link to start with: