Desktop shortcuts or browser bookmarks

[Ditto]

Not sure this is the right forum so feel free to move.

I'm seeking views on push installing URLs to cloud based applications. The target would be cross device, Chromebook and Windows 10. On Windows, it's fair to assume the user will be required to log in to their Google account on a Chrome browser, but it is not a strict requirement. Do you (or more importantly the staff in your school) prefer desktop icons or browser based bookmarks. What advantages do you see over your preferred approach? What is your approach to installing?

[mavhc]

Neither, default homepage that contains all the links I need. It's there whenever I ctrl-t, doesn't need to sync or deploy, it's just a web page, easy to update, expand, turn into a whole site if needed. Can work from work or home, can add search, custom per user stuff, whatever scale you want to work at

[FN-GM]

I put links to web apps on the start menu as well as the Chromebook equivalent. That is where they find the normal apps so I think it makes life easier for the end user.

[mavhc]

Would be interesting to set up a start menu/desktop where everything is a web app, like ChromeOS, explorer replaced with drive.google.com, Word with https://doc.new/ etc, as a migration to the future.

 

If you install a manifest file on your website it can be a Chrome App now, appears in start menu, opens Chrome without url bar etc, wonder how you mass deploy that.

[Chuckster]

From the days of XP to present I've always deployed URL shortcuts on the desktop, as both staff and students found this easier.

[mavhc]

Desktop always seemed a daft place for shortcuts, as soon as you open 1 thing you can't see it any more. Desktop opens Chrome, Chrome new tabs have all the next level of links.

 

Could use start menu, but it's just a worse page of links, it's not full screen, it has a load of stupid tiles, it's harder to modify, it only works on Windows, not iOS, Android, MacOS, Linux.

[Ditto]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I've reasonable experience on GSuite/CB management, but very little on Windows. I'm moving to a largely Windows environment soon so that will change, but thought I might have a go with the current job. At the new environment, what I've seen is a huge amount desktop shortcuts, but it's very cluttered. I tend to agree with @mavhc having them all hidden as soon as you run a app is one point against desktop shortcuts, and the hotkey of Ctrl-T is a nice quick way to get a list up - my concern is those users who end up loading multiple copies of the same window. On a technical front, I'd be interested to understand better how you push that setup out in a Windows environment and how the same is achieved on CBs - for example is it all controlled via Google Admin Chrome settings? I do know some of the new site users need to run IE for some apps s so perhaps that's another point to consider. @FN-GM, I think web apps on start menu would work well at my current environment as there are currently so few apps in place. I presume you can set this up by OU - so one for staff, another for the pupils? @Chuckster, this is along the lines of the environment I'm moving to and possible if it's what most are used too and a quick Windows-Key-M makes them all visible again - can't remember the equivalent on XP.