Smart Clients vs. Browser-based Business Applications

Smart Clients vs. Browser-based Business Applications

Due to the broad and ubiquitous reach of the Internet Browser, many companies assume that developing business applications inside the browser is their only option. While browsers provide an excellent way to deploy simple applications, browser-based applications impose significant limitations on End-User functionality and ease-of-use, and they are very expensive to develop and maintain for more for more complex business applications – which are frequently required for business-to-business (B2B) needs. Smart Client applications provide a much richer End User experience, they are much less expensive to develop and maintain, and they overcome many limitations for using the Internet for B2B data management needs.

Microsoft and Google Smart Client Applications

Both Google and Microsoft make extensive use of Smart Client applications. Google has realized the limitations of purely browser-based solutions, and has instead created Smart Client applications where improved user interfaces and functionality are desired. All of the highly interactive, high data throughput applications created by Google are actually Smart Client applications, such as Google Earth, Google Picassa, Google AdWords Tool, You Tube, and Mobile Maps. Similarly, Microsoft’s new Internet-based versions of the MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) are all going to be Smart Client applications. The reason: the user interface “experience” is simply not possible with pure browser-based methods!

Learn more about our Smart Client consulting services or read about hybrid Smart Client-Browser applications. You may also want to review these pages: Smart Client Pros and Cons and  Browser Applications Pros and Cons