MIT app inventor?

[BassTech]

We are trying to use MIT App Inventor in School: http://beta.appinventor.mit.edu/

It works fine as an Administrator but when trying it as a normal user, clicking on the "Open the Blocks Editor" button nothing happens, the same if we save the "AppInventorForAndroidCodeblocks.jnlp" - nothing happens when we try and open it.

 

We beleive this is a permissions error that's being set somewhere in group policy, but we cannot find anything which would be blocking it from running. We have tried IE8, IE9 and firefox all with the same outcome and various versions of Java on different computers...

 

Any ideas?

 

Edit: We are running Windows 7 Professional SP1 computers on a RM CC4 network.

Edited May 17, 2012 by BassTech

[BJG]

We beleive this is a permissions error that's being set somewhere in group policy, but we cannot find anything which would be blocking it from running.

It probably wants more rights on the local machine, like local Power User or local Admin or something...

[BassTech]

I've looked at the local permissions, even giving normal users full access to C:\ as a test but still no luck

[BJG]

Have you tried making a test user a local admin...?

 

*edit*

 

(...oh, this is basically a web page...? If that doesn't work, could it be some kind of filtering issue...?)

Edited May 17, 2012 by BJG

[sted]

dosent need to write somewhere in the registry does it?

[BassTech]

Tried making a test user a local admin, same thing. It's not filtering because our filter policy is the same for admins and normal users plus the web address is in our "allowed" list of websites.

 

I'm not sure if it writes to the registry, I've tried running procmon and had an in-depth look but couldn't pick out anything that is being blocked for normal users..

[BJG]

Strange - I can see why you're looking at GPOs then. Could maybe try adding them in one at a time to see where it breaks...? Bit of a nuisance though...

[kearton]

It's not filtering because our filter policy is the same for admins and normal users plus the web address is in our "allowed" list of websites.

What filter are you using? I was looking at this app today for one of our ICT teachers. It wasn't working because our proxy (TMG 2010) wasn't letting it connect to the Internet... Java was trying to authenticate anonymously so I had to create a new rule for the (inbuilt) "All Users" group rather than just our "Staff" or "Students" groups, to connect to *.mit.edu. ('All Users' doesn't require any authentication).

Bingo... now it works.

[CyberNerd]

What filter are you using? I was looking at this app today for one of our ICT teachers. It wasn't working because our proxy (TMG 2010) wasn't letting it connect to the Internet... Java was trying to authenticate anonymously so I had to create a new rule for the (inbuilt) "All Users" group rather than just our "Staff" or "Students" groups, to connect to *.mit.edu. ('All Users' doesn't require any authentication).

Bingo... now it works.

 

Just spotted this thread and can confirm this solution worked for us.

[BassTech]

What filter are you using? I was looking at this app today for one of our ICT teachers. It wasn't working because our proxy (TMG 2010) wasn't letting it connect to the Internet... Java was trying to authenticate anonymously so I had to create a new rule for the (inbuilt) "All Users" group rather than just our "Staff" or "Students" groups, to connect to *.mit.edu. ('All Users' doesn't require any authentication).

Bingo... now it works.

 

We use RM SmartCache 2.

 

We cannot edit the default groups that RM have set up. I've noticed that there is one called "RM Proxy Bypass List" - Wondering if *.mit.edu needs to be added to here?

[CyberNerd]

We use RM SmartCache 2.

 

We cannot edit the default groups that RM have set up. I've noticed that there is one called "RM Proxy Bypass List" - Wondering if *.mit.edu needs to be added to here?

 

You need to turn off authentication for that URL

[BassTech]

You need to turn off authentication for that URL

 

Thing is, why would it work for our administrator account? We only use the "Default" policy which is used by both staff, students and administrators - which makes me think that it's nothing to do with our proxy server.

I would try it, but with RM SmartCache 2 you have to reboot the server every time you add an exception to the proxy authentication list which takes the internet offline for around 15 minutes...

[CyberNerd]

I'm not really that clued up about smartcache.

Presumably it is authenticating to smarcache as "administrator". The issue is that the app doesn't work if the proxy requires any form of authentication. Other proxies allow you to prevent certain sites from needing authentication.

[BassTech]

I'm not really that clued up about smartcache.

Presumably it is authenticating to smarcache as "administrator". The issue is that the app doesn't work if the proxy requires any form of authentication. Other proxies allow you to prevent certain sites from needing authentication.

 

We can prevent sites from needing authentication, but we have to reboot the server everytime we add a site to the list, which is a pain! Will have to come in early and try it, will post results.

[CyberNerd]

coo. I think i misread your last post anyway.

[BassTech]

I've updated Java, which now shows an error message as to why it's failing:

 

 

 
   App Inventor for Android Blocks Editor
   MIT Center for Mobile Learning
   App Inventor for Android Blocks Editor
 
 

JNLPException[category: Security Error : Exception: null : LaunchDesc: 

 
   App Inventor for Android Blocks Editor
   MIT Center for Mobile Learning
   App Inventor for Android Blocks Editor
 
 
   
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
   http://beta.appinventor.mit.edu:80/ode2/webstartfile/
   125_d72c6vqyl6k0ayok2g5bgwodgsg22hbxi4x8cqjazma568kg9ec1gt5dwm1vwpdx8ilv77epartu511h4u5wxemwajqg7c4zavr9kb7d3jo8gnoclw2u2zzhbu24dngbbz83ckamid/
 
 ]
at com.sun.javaws.security.JNLPSignedResourcesHelper.checkSignedResourcesHelper(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.security.JNLPSignedResourcesHelper.checkSignedResources(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.prepareResources(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.prepareAllResources(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.prepareToLaunch(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.prepareToLaunch(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.launch(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Main.launchApp(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Main.continueInSecureThread(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Main$1.run(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)

   
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
   http://beta.appinventor.mit.edu:80/ode2/webstartfile/
   125_d72c6vqyl6k0ayok2g5bgwodgsg22hbxi4x8cqjazma568kg9ec1gt5dwm1vwpdx8ilv77epartu511h4u5wxemwajqg7c4zavr9kb7d3jo8gnoclw2u2zzhbu24dngbbz83ckamid/
 

 

Any ideas?

[reggiep]

This is no help but just to let you know it is happening for us too.

Admins go through same filter as staff and it is running for admins but not staff!

[reggiep]

Also there is an open thread about this issue on their own support forum https://groups.google.com/forum/embed/?fragments=true#!topic/app-inventor-instructors/jKHkkyfZEeQ

[MrWu]

Hi

 

Same issue here with our school (we use a Sonicwall E5500 / Impero for content filtering.) Initally I thought it was a permissions issue (Domainadmins work, student/teachers do not)

 

Will turn each one of these off to test and feedback if it helps.

 

Wil

 

Ps anyone know any good alternative to MIT apps as a Plan B ?

Edited July 9, 2012 by MrWu

[CyberNerd]

Try a different version of java.

We had similar error using IcedTea wirth Open JDK but using Oracle 7 worked ok.

[BassTech]

Also, this is what the Java debug console logs:

 

Trying to download phone app apk

 

Phone app apk saved into temp file: C:\Users\USER~1.DOM\AppData\Local\Temp\aia3338241901795979705.apk

systemId is file:///C:/Users/USER.DOMAIN/Desktop/ignore_lang_def.dtd publicId is null

 

Reading language definition DTD from jar resources.

Preparing phone for new project

Creating GUI...

==== Loading form, project is test_copy

No zip file from server. Returning empty file map.

 

And then nothing happens.

[CyberNerd]

are you running a local build server?

[LukeC]

What version of java, and have you installed the tiny piece of software app inventor likes?

[BassTech]

No, we are not running a local build server.

We are running Java 6, also tried Java 7 with the same results. Yes we have installed the android emulator software but it has made no difference

 

Lee

[CyberNerd]

did you make any progress with this?