The itinerary
applet is based on a application provided by Symantec Cafe, and demonstrates
what could be done with a Internet based itinerary that could be
easily converted to a scrap book by the user. As a business consideration,
it was interesting for me to ponder the pros and cons of providing services
to users as applications vs. applets. Consider for a moment if the
user had a application that they could easily load pictures and text
into on their computer. Itinerary information could be sent to them and
loaded into the application for viewing at the users convenience Similarly
the user could easily put their own pictures and text into the application
via an interface that would compile their own scrapbook as a reminder of
their travels. Conversely if the interfaces is a applet, the user
logs onto the system and the itinerary is there for the viewing.
When the user wants to convert it to a scrap book a simple form could be
the interface that would transfer the pictures/text and a scrap book
could be automatically generated on the server for future enjoyment.
This obviously implies a lot of storage needs for the service provider
but, the big trade off may be an implicit loyalty that would accrue
over time as the relationship continues and the service provider "maintains"
the users collection of treasured memories.
The Travel Companion Custom
Itinerary,
Prepared for the Yamaha Team's Working Retreat