When I tell people that I develop web applications, specifically administrative web applications, they immediately assume that I develop web sites, and they cannot understand it when I tell them that they are not the same. Most people know the difference between a desktop application and a web site, so it is sometimes easier to understand if I say that a web application is equivalent to a desktop application with a web interface. As a web site does not have an equivalent desktop version it should therefore follow that there are differences.I sometimes refer to a web site as the Front Office or Showroom software and the web application as the Back Office software. Other people may use Front End and Back End. The front office is where visitors come in to browse and sometimes make a purchase. The back office is there to provide support services for the front office, such as processing customer orders and maintaining, issuing and replenishing inventory. While the front office is open to anyone, access to the back office is restricted to authorised personnel only. While the front office software is web only, the back office software can be either desktop or web, or a mixture of the two. It is possible for a web site (front end) to have a companion web application. A back office application is not necessarily the same as a Content Management System (CMS) as it does much more than simply maintain the information that is displayed on the web site. It is possible for a web application to exist without a companion web site. For example, an organisation may have a web application which allows employees to enter their timesheets and expenses, but this application does not have a web site which is open to casual visitors.The only similarity between a web site and a web application is that they both access HTML documents using the HTTP protocol over an internet or intranet connection. The fact that there is a difference between the two is not apparent to most of today's script kiddies who manage to cobble together what passes for a web site for an organisation, then, when asked to build a back office application to support what is used by the front office they continue with the "this is a website" mentality.

to make it short, a website is a web application, but a web application is not necessarily a website. it's not hard to grasp, (i believe) every technical person knows that. Only the layman might confuse these

When you are speaking to normal person on the street, you have got to use the street wise language. You are a website designer to my Mummy who cant differentiate between the internet and a website. Even the elites on the street they cant differentiate between the email and website, they will tell you that email and website are one and the same since they can access their email via a browser or website so therefore you are a website designer. Technically you are a web developer.

harryobas: ... As a web site does not have an equivalent desktop version it should therefore follow that there are differences.I sometimes refer to a web site as the Front Office or Showroom software and the web application as the Back Office software. Other people may use Front End and Back End. The front office is where visitors come in to browse and sometimes make a purchase. The back office is there to provide support services for the front office, such as processing customer orders and maintaining, issuing and replenishing inventory.

I love that analogy. It should make things clearer to those that do not know

okeyxyz: to make it short, a website is a web application, but a web application is not necessarily a website.

No Sir. a website is not a web application. I prefer to st that a web application is an application that sits in website, or better still that uses Http protocol

On a side note, I hate it when posts are hidden. By the way, why should they hide posts.

okeyxyz: to make it short, a website is a web application, but a web application is not necessarily a website. it's not hard to grasp, (i believe) every technical person knows that. Only the layman might confuse these

You got it reversed. A web application can be a website, and a website is NOT always a web application (your typical company website with static HTML pages are not web applications).

logica: You got it reversed. A web application can be a website, and a website is NOT always a web application (your typical company website with static HTML pages are not web applications).

so a website with a dynamic UI is a web app

lordZOUGA:
so a website with a dynamic UI is a web app

It sure is. What definitely makes a website a web application is no more that the provision of more than read-only features. It's not just providing output, but output based on input from the user (interactivity).

logica: You got it reversed. A web application can be a website, and a website is NOT always a web application (your typical company website with static HTML pages are not web applications).

really lwkmd. A web app is simply a software setup to accomplish a task on the web, whether static or dynamic. simples!!!

okeyxyz:

really lwkmd. A web app is simply a software setup to accomplish a task on the web, wether static or dynamic. simples!!!

Are you laughing at your ignorance or what? Do you know what an application is? Can a static website provide output from a user's input? I will not even bother trying to further educate you.

Or better yet, read what your mates already know about web applications up to 15 years ago (if in 2012 you still don't know what it is): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_application

logica: Are you laughing at your ignorance or what? Do you know what an application is? Can a static website provide output from a user's input? I will not even bother trying to further educate you.

so if it does not dynamically interact with user input, it's not an application ehh? how about when it outputs files stored on websites, which of course static html does perfectly?

okeyxyz:

so if it does not dynamically interact with user input, it's not an application ehh? how about when it outputs files stored on websites, which of course static html does perfectly?

You call an HTTP GET of static files from a server an application? Jezuz, are you one of those half-baked "geniuses" they churn out from these mushroom computer schools? What processing does the server go through to send back the file? What logic determines the file it sends back? So a simple HTTP GET is processing or computation to you?

logica: Or better yet, read what your mates already know about web applications up to 15 years ago (if in 2012 you still don't know what it is): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_application

next time you want to use any references, be sure that it is well documented, validated & verified, which if you'd looked properly you'll see that the page you referred me to is not, otherwise you'd have noticed this heading

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2010)

I'm not saying the info contained in it is wrong, but in an intellectual scenario, nobody will bother with it's contents if it does not meet the intellectual/business documentation criteria.

okeyxyz:

next time you want to use any references, be sure that it is well documented, validated & verified, which if you'd looked properly you'll see that the page you referred me to is not, otherwise you'd have noticed this heading

Dude get the fvck out of here. I can put up one million pages that will tell you what a web application is:

http://docs.oracle.com/javaee/1.4/tutorial/doc/WebApp.html
http://webtrends.about.com/od/webapplications/a/web_application.htm

Even Wikipedia has provided references for you to educate yourself, but you would rather be trying to be smart. You better learn what a web application really is before you start pushing yourself as an "expert" on developing one.

logica:
You call an HTTP GET of static files from a server an application? Jezuz, are you one of those half-baked "geniuses" they churn out from these mushroom computer schools? What processing does the server go through to send back the file? What logic determines the file it sends back? So a simple HTTP GET is processing or computation to you?

Mehn, are you here to entertain me or what I'm really bursting with laughter hia o! So you are saying that if it's not a highly complex, multi-function, multi-module application package, then it cannot be an application? Just follow the simple definition of a software/web application. It's a software setup to accomplish a task. HTML langauge alone is coded to read files. is that not a task performed on the web

next you'll be saying that google-chrome, firefox, & internet-explorer alone(without further javascripting etc) are not web apps because they don't interact with user

okeyxyz:

Mehn, are you here to entertain me or what I'm really bursting with laughter hia o! So you are saying that if it's not a highly complex, multi-function, multi-module application package, then it cannot be an application? Just follow the simple definition of a software/web application. It's a software setup to accomplish a task. HTML langauge alone is coded to read files. is that not a task performed on the web

Keep on bursting at being a dumb-azz. Even one of the links I tried to use to provide free education for you says: "The application can be as simple as a message board or a guest sign-in book on a website, or as complex as a word processor or a spreadsheet." So who said anything about complexity? Are you dyslexic? If you are, programming is not for you.

logica: "The application can be as simple as a message board or a guest sign-in book on a website,

So, how does a simple html code that reads files on the web not qualify for an application?

I could write a simple code to just output "Hello Guest" banner to visitors on my site
as long as that is my purpose, then i can satisfactorily call it an app.

afterall, when we all started programming course, we started with "Hello World" output
that was it's sole purpose! simply print to screen, no user interaction. how is that not an app?

PS:
Even if we follow your strict definition of web app(ie: An app must interact with user input), a html code that displays documents on the web is still an app, because all the [b]pointing & clicking [/b]actions are user input.

So how does all the twisting and turning tie in with nonsense you said earlier: "website is a web application"? I was about to get more technical but I'll leave you on your path into the bush.

logica: So how does all the twisting and turning tie in with nonsense you said earlier: "website is a web application"? I was about to get more technical but I'll leave you on your path into the bush.

simple, a website does tasks on the web, these task can be: display company info, advertising, get user data/registration, e-commerce, training/tutorials, movies etc. these are activities we used to do in the "brick & mortar" environments, now they are adapted(applied/application) to the web, thus web-app.

Mehn.., i'm feeling sooo coool!!!

okeyxyz:

simple, a website does tasks on the web, these task can be: display company info, advertising, get user data/registration, e-commerce, training/tutorials, movies etc. these are activities we used to do in the "brick & mortar" environments, now they are adapted(applied/application) to the web, thus web-app.

Mehn.., i'm feeling sooo coool!!!

So in your hazy mind, every single website has "user data/registration, e-commerce, training). Are those not dynamic components? Even more importantly, what is the architecture of a website that is nothing more than a collection of static HTML pages since you claim it is a web application? How many tiers does it have? be feeling cool in ignorance.

Note that I only chose to respond to you because of the inquiring mind who created this thread; before you lead the dude into the bush you are heading to.

@logica, please defend yourself right before instructing people. okeyxyz, is making more sense than you.. You are just cursing the guy which you shouldn't since the solution to you guys debate is constant and independent of the guy's stupidity. Posting links to pages that explain it is quite irrelevant if you can't relay what is written there in layman's terms...