Question:
What is the best way to go about simulating a PDA (personal digital assistant) in a Web page? I want to simulate a change of menu many times. Can I use frames, CGI, or something else?
Answer:
The answer depends, at least partly, on the level of accuracy to a real PDA that you need and where the simulation will be running. You can use things such as client-side JavaScript to react to mouse-clicks. The script might switch images or alter the look of simulated menus in another way. This approach is rather flexible in that it could produce an acceptable level of functionality and it could run in both major browsers (if coded properly).
If you need a very accurate and very functional simulation, you could use an ActiveX control, Java applet, or Flash. The ActiveX control would be the most functional, but also the most restrictive in terms of cross-platform functionality. They really only work well in IE. Java applets would be the next most functional, but they can take a significant amount of time to create if you aren’t already familiar with how it’s done. Macromedia Flash can provide visually stunning animations for Web pages, but is slightly less functional, in some ways, than either Java applets or ActiveX controls. However, for a simulation, it may be just what you need.
