Implementing a 'Send Feedback' feature in a Java desktop application

Question

I would like to implement a 'Send Feedback' option in a Java desktop application. One which will pop up a box for the user to enter a comment, then send it to us along with a screenshot of the application window.

How would be the best way to communicate the data to us? Two obvious solutions spring to mind:

• Email - I'm thinking that the application would connect to an SMTP server set-up by us, with the username/password somehow hidden in the code. SMTP over SSL for security (not of the data being sent, but of the SMTP username/password).
• Web service - pretty self explanatory.

Which of these would be best, or is there a better alternative?

Answer 1

A webserivce would be far better, since the connection to an SMTP server might be blocked.

Another idea would be to use Google Docs. This would be like the website idea but you wouldnt need to set any server-side stuff yourself. You could create a Google Docs spreadsheet with the fields you will be collecting, then have your Java app write the submission to the spreadhseet using the google docs API. Then add a notification to the spreadsheet to automatically send you an email when a new row is written.