Typically you hear client software as being either Thin Client (browser, Web App) or Fat Client.
I'll define the range between those 2 points as "rich client".
Argh, the below is very sloppy.
Let's try to draw cleaner lines between these types of apps.
Thin Client: pure Open Standards browser Web App. Not download, no special runtime. HTML, DHTML, Java Script
RichClient: two levels
Thin Client with AJAX and persistence? Does a really easy plugin install count as an install?
one-time install of Run Time Virtual Machine that runs within browser. Individual apps are automatically streamed when a URI is called. Ja Va, Flash
Fat Client: individual apps must be downloaded. Visual Basic, Py Thon
Even these lines are fuzzy. Especially in the Micro Soft architecture, you can easily imagine a web page triggering the download/install/launch of a Visual Basic app which runs in a separate window/memory, etc. The trick is getting your foot in the door - hence my Bundle Many Runtimes ideal.
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Some possible features/benefits/parameters:
- offline use
- better performance (lower lantency) for certain tasks because functional code runs on the local client on a local cache of data.
using a P2 P architecture to avoid scaling and reliability issues associated with central servers (or Tuple Space?)
Some possible technologies (which don't necessarily provide all the above features) include:
Ja Va applets, Java Script
- Flash
DHTML (still not quite standardized due to ancient Ms IE bugs)
Desktop Web Server (e.g. Radio Userland, Zo Pe, or Jon Udell's "dhttp" Pe Rl work)
A big issue with rich clients is getting user acceptance.
- how much work is involved in setting up the framework and custom application?
- what is the financial cost of the runtime and custom app?
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mozilla is a piece of shit. give it up netscape!
- the key response is "for what? compared to what?" Because it drives me nuts in a variety of ways, but I'm still using it for almost everything... --Bill
Another technology: ULC - Rich clients for J2 EE http://www.canoo.com/ulc