Web Based Software Vs Standalone Solution - Nairaland

ky!! Let me start by defending web-based application to standalone. We have what we called FAT-CLIENT and THIN-CLIENT. Basically, it is used to depict if a web application is going to off-load its load to the server (thin client) or if the web application is going to do all the heavy work i.e sql statements and managing data base connection (fat client)

Before the birth of Server side computing applications (Standalone) use to be fat client, because all the programming and processing power it built-in in the standalone. That is why it was called standalone, it stands on its own. It does NOT depend on any other infrastructure for processing.

But there was problems with this implementation:

1. Maintenance issue
2. Scalability
3. Deployment
4. Security

Maintenance

Imagine you have 500 staffs using PC with standalone apps installed in them and there was a little requirement change. You are in trouble, it will take you days to walk around the office uninstall the old one and install the new one, dreadful.

Scalability

When user grow it does not manage database access very well since all fat client have their data access routine. No single point of reference to database manager. If Microsoft changes its OS (Operating System) to new one, which he does every year, i.e. extending the 32bit operating system API to 64bits operating system. You have to rewrite all you standalone else your company would be stuck with windows 95 haha.

Deployment

Like I said how are you going to install a software to 500 PC's when there is a need for requirement changes often frequent.

Mind you web application can be fat client, well it use to be. With the advent of MVC (Model View Controller) and other n-tier architecture deployment infrastructure, it was evident that thin-client will live for a long time, not only it has:

1. One single point of deployment (url)
2. Single point of access (url)
3. Single point of maintenace (web server i.e apache, xmapp)
4. It Scales well when users increase (Buy more server)
5. If microsoft change it OS get the newer apache from apache website and take all your .jpg, .htm, html, .php, .php3 etc into the new apache

There are many reason why you should consider web application to standalone. Mind you standalone could be thin-client but the issue of deploying 500 PC or even more depending on the company is not a joke, especially when you have to do it every week because of requirements changes.

Security Also, remember that one of the most important issues with thin client is the application of security policy. Web apps has a single point to apply security policy.

Controlled central login, authentication, authorization and verification. These policies are kept under the web apps and furthermore you can apply web encryption algorithm by using a Cipher strength in excess of 128bits. You can control and map IP to specific web apps etc

These serious issues could not be achieved in standalone apps, where all the security is encoded on each apps. The only remote correlation for standalone is database access. Even then apps do not know what each one is doing. It could be difficult to achieve a real-time processing using standalone. The only way could be batch processing.