Network has experienced from fat client applications to a thin client development course, fat client is compared with the traditional C/S structure of network applications,
And thin client is usually relative to B/S structure of Web application.
Fat client application
Fat client is relative to the case of thin client, it will be the application process is divided into two parts: the client part of the user's desktop computer processing and some focus on server part, fat client part of the client application in addition to in charge of the program UI interface displayed to the user interaction, also responsible for most of the business logic processing, this type of application to the client part has a mission
Ability, to the requirements of the client machine is higher, but you can reduce the server is part of the pressure, lower demand on server performance, typical fat client application contains one or more on the server and client application running on a PC, client installed on the PC function rich interactive user interface, the user can through the interface to view and manipulate data, business affairs, etc., to share the server part or all of the business logic processing (so fat client would seem to be very "heavy", so called fat client, also called the rich client),
Server part generally concentrate on processing data access operations, but also responsible for handling all or part of the business logic.
Thin client application
Thin client application is mainly refers to B/S structure of the Web application, he was actually a variety of the C/S structure. It will C/S structure of the client program
Unified for the browser (Broswer), the browser only standard HTML to display the user interface.
In this way, the server handles the business logic and data access,
Then send processed results in the form of HTML to the client, the client is responsible for the results displayed to the user, client, besides is responsible for some of the data validation and organizational
Basically don't handle any business logic, only focus on the user interface display. (such a thin client is very thin, so called a thin client)
Nowadays, with the development of technology, the emergence of ajax technology, B/S structure of web applications also gradually to the fat client development, combined with rising star flex, more to speed up the B/S structure to fat client web application development.