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To: Paul Corbett who wrote (7620)	11/20/1997 8:44:00 PM
From: Tom C	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10836

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.

To: Paul Corbett who wrote (7620)	11/21/1997 3:28:00 AM
From: Kashish King	Respond to of 10836

First of all, there's no defining body for all of this jargon and it's changing daily. This isn't new, there was never a formal definition of a minicomputer either -- if anybody tells you otherwise they are simply coughing up opinion in lieu of fact. Thin-client is just the vernacular term for a personal computer system which is only fully functional when connected to a network. Since the applications, services and data used by these systems are generally dynamically transferred from the server to the client system, they don't require large hard-disks, CD-ROM drives, or a large power supplies. That makes them physically thin; but that's not the end of the story. They also run what could be considered a client-only operating system -- or scaled down version of a scalable operating system -- and in so doing they require far less memory, less powerful CPUs, et cetera. Don't be fooled though, many of these are powerful communications device complete with realtime video and sound, 3D graphics and so on. Still, they'll always be thinner than the servers they are connected to. Really the operating system is a distributed across all of the clients, the middleware, the server and so on. When you say the computer you most likely mean the network itself and all of the resources available on it. Microsoft has been developing FAT business appliances and you can't just turn around and redesign your entire strategy on a dime. Security, distributed operation and dynamic acquisition of bandwith and other resources has to be designed in from the start. The kids at Microsoft were allowed to make these massive blunders because the animated paper clip was enough to get users to switch from the old legacy office products to the new legacy office products. Microsoft was blinded by the billions pouring in one door, but they are in for a rude awakening as the tidal wave of Java software starts hitting the streets in the coming months.

To: Paul Corbett who wrote (7620)	11/21/1997 3:44:00 AM
From: Kashish King	Respond to of 10836

By the way, there are gillions of terminals out there including some extremely sophisticated multimedia devices. The hassle-free nature of these devices continues to attract buyers and the much ballyhooed Total Cost of Ownership really is a fraction of the average Wintel boat anchor. However, terminals don't execute programs, thin or otherwise. Java ushers in a new breed of logical business appliance -- logical in that the physical forms are unlimited -- which is neither computer nor terminal, it's the best of both worlds.