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Web-Based ApplicationsWhat Are Web-Based Applications?Web-based applications is an application that is accessed via a web browser over a network such as the Internet or a private LAN. They have obtained popularity recently due to the fact that businesses have so many client machines, it is difficult to maintain them all with individual updates for the applications installed on each of them. Web-based applications utilize the concept of a thin-client in which the client system runs no software but a simple browser and all of the processing is handled by the application server. Web-based applications typically have a three-tiered architecture in which the web browser is the first tier, some server-side technology such as PHP, ASP, ColdFusion, etc. holds the middle tier, and a database is the third tier. The first tier provides the interface and the middle tier provides the processing and communication of data between the third and first tiers. Advantages of Web-Based ApplicationsBecause a web-based application utilizes a web browser to present the interface, it places very few limits on the functionality of the client and allows a user running virtually any type of system to utilize the application. Not only does this create a very efficient application environment, it also minimizes the resources required to maintain the overall system. An IT manager can simply make the update to the server and each client instantly sees the change without having to go to each individual client to install the update. Usability is also very high with web-based applications. By utilizing technologies such as Java, Javascript, DHTML, PHP and others, application-specific methods such as drawing on the screen, playing audio, and access to the keyboard and mouse are all possible. Many web-based applications combine many or all of these into an interface that is just as familiar and fluid as using an operating system itself. ------------------- |