×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Smart Client PC vs. a Thin Client PC what is the difference?

Smart Client PC vs. a Thin Client PC what is the difference?

Smart Client PC vs. a Thin Client PC what is the difference?

(OP)
Can someone tell me what these refer to in layman's terms? (btw...Where do they come up with these names, is there a dumb client pc and a fat client PC?)  

RE: Smart Client PC vs. a Thin Client PC what is the difference?

A thin client PC is a computer that relies on another computer (server) to run its programs.  The server is a faster computer with more memory (more expensive) that can run applications faster and store a lot of information.  The thin client is a only responsible for displaying and reading data to/from the user.  It can be slower and have less memory (less expensive).  Multiple users can run applications and store data on the same server.

A smart client is pretty much the opposite, where the users computer has more memory and is faster so it can run the application locally.  With this option the the PC is more expensive, but a server is not needed.

RE: Smart Client PC vs. a Thin Client PC what is the difference?

An example of a thin client would be a slew of cash registers hooked to a server.  Everything of importance happens in the server but enough has to happen at the cash registers to provide the user interfacing and communicate with the server.

Same thing would be a airline reservation system.

Most of the time Thin Clients don't even have hard drives.  They have ROM to wake them up enough to just fetch the client SW which they then run providing the aforementioned functions.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources