Re: what is a "thin-client"..
Hey.. I give it a shot. Thin-client and Thick-client (yes, it is a term) were first used in reference to client/sever architectures. In my mind, client/server refers to software. It has nothing to do with hardware. A server is a software program that performs a service, for example a database management system (DBMS) like Oracle that stores and manages data . A client is software that requests services from a server, such as, here is some data, please store it. A key notion is that these software programs communicate to each other using messages. In a situation where two programs communicate with each other, you have a choice as to the amount of smarts you want to build in each of the software programs. The smarts you build into a program are referred to as business rules. A thin-client is client software that does not have a lot of business rules associated with. For example, if you are surfing the web using your browser and wish to sign up for a magazine you are presented with a form. You fill in the form and press submit. Only after you press submit are you informed of any problems in your entry. This is because the server software applied certain rules to your entry and notified you that you met or failed one or more business rules. Your web browser is a thin-client.
A thick-client on the other hand has embedded in it, a knowledge of the business rules. If you are filling in a computer form, often each field is validated before you can move the next field, and the fields of the form are evaluated before the data is sent off to be stored on the server. The software on the client is required to know a fair amount about the business.
I like to simplify the difference between the two as the following: when developing a thin-client, I assume my users know what they are doing but I make sure the server software checks the data before it is entered in the data database. In as fat-client situation, I assume the users are idiots so I check every thing before it gets to the server.
Regards
Tom
ps: I prefer to think that my users know what they are doing. |
