A design question

[tony]

Hello!

What is the recommended way to solve design when creating system today.
Assume you use windows forms.
You can use thin client PC(terminal server) which is a special kind of PC
where you put all the execution on the server and only show the presentation
on the client or you can use a traditional PC where some of the execution is
done on the client.

Can somebody tell me if I will use .NET will one or the other be more
suitable.

//Tony

 

[Marc Gravell]

The question of local / terminal client is completely unrelated to the
platform (.Net), since the terminal is abstracted at the OS level to cover
all implementations.

Which is best? It depends entirely on the exact scenario, but the deafult
would be a standard "client running it's own software" model.

A terrminal session may be benefficial if the client application would
otherwise have to do lots of round-trips over a high-latency connection, but
this can be reduced at the design phase if you anticipate that usage (fewer
fatter hits, rather than small chatty hits).

However, for anything other than basic graphics, a remote screen could
become a bottleneck. Not a good option for animations etc.

As for deployment, with things like ClickOnce the deployment cost is very
different to what it used to be for rich clients, but your app may
necessitate a full install (like Office or VS) - so again it depends on the
scenario.

You should also consider the "other" thin clients of browsers, mobile
devices, compact editions etc. All have very different profiles. You need to
know the requirement before you can choose a design. One size does most
definitely not fit all.

Marc

 

[gary]

Tony,

Surely that depends on the problem domain that you are working in. You
can do both in .Net; which is more suitable depends on your problem not
the solution.