Well guys now everybody wants to do something web based instead of the standalone thing,  i came across a website that built a Web Based Accounting software everything runs online but i say to myself what of if this so called ISP get stuck like you coming on a blessed day and you try login and you find out that[b] SERVER[/b] is kind of down what will you do ? that means notting for that they huh ? what do you think or prefer Web based or Standalone ?

I do believe i can build a standalone still using PHP/MySQL/APache/ with out it been online and make it an Intranet thing for the staff to link up to the Software.

Normally those critical accounting applications are ran on an Intranet or an intranet network, hence the issue of downtime and slow response time is minimized due to the controls used to monitor them.

I prefer web based applications to desktop based applications, especially if they are on an intranet network.

hummm Wait oo Let me get you straight without you login to the Internet abi ? Cos what i meant is. no need to login to internet what you got to do is just type http://localhost/accounting/ and make it an intranet huh ?

Smartsoft,

I think that's what kazey is talking about.

I've fooled around with xampp in creating a standalone web app that can run a local website connected to a mySQL database, but it's a bit heavy (it comes with quite a few files which I'm not sure are needed). I wonder if there's a lighter deployment package that will let me do the same thing out there.

there is actually xammp lite and even LAMP.

yah LAMP have seen that, but the problem is i don't even know how to implement this Intranet, because have some kind of solution WEB BASED SOFTWARE for airline companies

@Kazey do you think Lite is kinda better ?

well depends on your implementation platform besides infrastructure.

Okies

When we talk of standalone solution, we shouldn't forget that, that also speaks of many enterprises that use network based standalone software. So the number of PCs etc doesn't really matter. Considering that most of the systems are dummy terminals and its the main server doing all the transaction.

A good example is the bank. Now the question is does a bank for example really require a web based application to run its internal transaction? It all depends actually. As I said before, its about preference not really fullfilling a particular need.

In regards to the scale of implementation especially on enterprise level, where the architecture tends to be more complex with lots of functionalities and models, besides departments, server based softwares are normally encouraged due to the nature of the multi-threading etc and its not that web based solutions wont work. Its just more convenient to have them on desktop. The culture of running a web based software on enterprise level hasn't really being adapted well yet. Preference is the factor, not really functionalities.

Another thing to consider is the ubiquity of the browser. This has really aided the development of thin client applications. All that's needed to access the application is a browser. No need to worry about installing the app on each users PC. Obviously, a web based application will not be a solution for all applications, but for most applications these days, it's the most ideal and cost efficient way to go.

Bossman:

Another thing to consider is the ubiquity of the browser. This has really aided the development of thin client applications. All that's needed to access the application is a browser. No need to worry about installing the app on each users PC. Obviously, a web based application will not be a solution for all applications, but for most applications these days, it's the most ideal and cost efficient way to go.

Thin client, yes a very good point raised there. But you forgot that there is a browser on each system accessing that Thin APP .

Most Ideal in what sense, didn't get it?

Well Cost efficient, yes in a way, beacuse they are small scale in nature, and maybe their Server Side interpreters could be Opensource, besides cheap

Mind you, I am totally in support of Web based software, but my reason is just preference, due to the fact that I love Opensource.

sbucareer:



Oky!! Let me start by defending web-based application to standalone. We have what we called FAT-CLIENT and THIN-CLIENT. Basically, it is used to depict if a web application is going to off-load its load to the server (thin client) or if the web application is going to do all the heavy work i.e sql statements and managing data base connection (fat client)

Before the birth of Server side computing applications (Standalone) use to be fat client, because all the programming and processing power it built-in in the standalone. That is why it was called standalone, it stands on its own. It does NOT depend on any other infrastructure for processing.

But there was problems with this implementation:

1. Maintenance issue
2. Scalability
3. Deployment
4.

Maintenance

Imagine you have 500 staffs using PC with standalone apps installed in them and there was a little requirement change. You are in trouble, it will take you days to walk around the office uninstall the old one and install the new one, dreadful.

Scalability

When user grow it does not manage database access very well since all fat client have their data access routine. No single point of reference to database manager. If Microsoft changes its OS (Operating System) to new one, which he does every year, i.e. extending the 32bit operating system API to 64bits operating system. You have to rewrite all you standalone else your company would be stuck with windows 95 haha.

Deployment

Like I said how are you going to install a software to 500 PC's when there is a need for requirement changes often frequent.

Mind you web application can be fat client, well it use to be. With the advent of MVC (Model View Controller) and other n-tier architecture deployment infrastructure, it was evident that thin-client will live for a long time, not only it has:

1. One single point of deployment (url)
2. Single point of access (url)
3. Single point of maintenace (web server i.e apache, xmapp)
4. It Scales well when users increase (Buy more server)
5. If microsoft change it OS get the newer apache from apache website and take all your .jpg, .htm, html, .php, .php3 etc into the new apache

There are many reason why you should consider web application to standalone. Mind you standalone could be thin-client but the issue of deploying 500 PC or even more depending on the company is not a joke, especially when you have to do it every week because of requirements changes.

In nutshell you buy the idea of Web Base Software ?

My argument is preety simple. Both Standalone and Web Based Softwares can offer equal functionalities although sometimes in ERP apps for example where you have lots of multi-threading they might be some functionalities that can't be accomodated on the web.

Cost wise they are literally the same, its all about preference.

This thread is about Web Based Softwares and Standalone Solutions and the functionalities both can present, besides the upper edge they might have over one another.

Whats your preference and why?

Yeah but are this thin apps web based?

Our tackling is quiet ambiguous. A standalone software is a software that has no dependencies, which means it is on its own terminal and run within its own terminal without any dependencies.

A Web based software is that which resides on a server and is accessed through a web browser whilst the processing occurs at the server end.

A Thin client can be both web based and also a desktop based one, as long the as the (client) depends on a client-server architecture for functionality, so it has to depend primarily on the central server for processing activities.

A Thin client doesn’t necessarily describe a standalone nor a web based application.

I'm really learning here

okay you guys see What Defines a Web Application Vs a Desktop Application?
A web application is an application delivered to users from a web server like the Internet. Some businesses run web applications on an intranet, as well. Web applications are becoming more popular due to the widespread use of the web browser as a client.

Some applications are better suited and more likely to become successful as web applications. Web applications designed specifically for search engine optimization, have become increasingly popular. It is easy to understand why web applications that relate to the Internet would prosper, while business applications may have less appeal in a web environment.

A desktop application is a self-contained program that performs a defined set of tasks under the user control. Desktop applications run from a local drive and do not require a network or connectivity to operate or function properly, though if attached to a network desktop applications might use the resources of the network.


Pros and Cons to Desktop and Web Applications:

Easily Accessible
Web applications can be easily accessed from any computer or location that has Internet access. Travelers especially benefit from the accessibility. This often means that if a traveler has access to a computer, phone or handheld with Internet connectivity they can utilize the web application.


Low Maintenance & Forced Upgrades
Desktop applications need to be individually installed on each computer, while web applications require a single installation.
Many web applications are hosted by a 3rd party and the maintenance fall under the applications hosts responsibility. The ability to update and maintain web applications without distributing and installing software on potentially thousands of client computers is a key reason for the popularity of web based applications. This can be a blessing and a curse as users of web applications on hosted systems are at the mercy of the host, if an upgrade does not go well, or the individual user doesn't want or need the new features the upgrade will still go forward.

Increased Security Risks
There are always risks involved when dealing with working online, regardless of how secure a host might say a web application is, that fact of the matter stands that the security risk of running an application of the Internet is more significant than when running an application on a standalone desktop computer. Some applications require more security than others, playing Sudoku on a web application would cause little concern, but dealing with sensitive corporate formulas or accounting details in a web environment might be determined risky.



Cost
Over the life of the software use, web applications are typically significantly more expensive over time. Desktop applications are purchased outright and rarely is their a recurring fee for the software use. Some desktop applications do have maintenance fees or fee based upgrades associated with them, but rarely is there a subscription fee associated with the software's ongoing use.

Many corporate web applications use a different model, users typically are charged monthly service fee to operate the software. Fees are considered "subscription fees". If you fail to renew your subscription you may be unable to access the data stored in the web application.


Connectivity
Web applications rely on persistent and unmanaged connectivity. If you do not have an Internet connection or if your host does not have Internet connectivity you cannot access the information. Critical applications or businesses that are time sensitive cannot risk denial of service attacks or power outages to interrupt their operations and access data that is sensitive.


Slower
Web applications that rely on the Internet to transfer data rather than a computer's local hard drive, may operate slower. The speed may also vary based on number of users accessing the application.

Backups & Ownership.
Regardless of the platform, companies need to be sure that their data is appropriately backed up. When using a web application that are hosted by a third party, companies should clearly determine who owns the data housed in the application, and be sure that privacy policies prevent that data from being used by the web host.


Ultimately the accessibility of web based applications make them very desirable. Web applications have some fundamental limitations in their functionality, and are better suited for specific tasks. Understanding the pro's and con's to each business model, will help users determine whether a desktop application or web application will better suit their needs.

But have this at the back of your mind that we talking about Offline the web based software been offline. just like Standalone Software

sbucareer:

Kazey, you are confusing your self.

Are we sharing knowledge or trying to prove that we are smarter?

This is according to wikipedia which goes accordance with my definitions.

A thin client is a network computer without a hard disk drive, which, in client/server applications, is designed to be especially small so that the bulk of the data processing occurs on the server.


A thick client (also known as a fat client or rich client) is a client that performs the bulk of any data processing operations itself, and relies on the server it is associated with primarily for data storage. Although the term usually refers to software, it can also apply to a network computer that has relatively strong processing abilities.

Stand-alone is a loaded word, used to categorise computer programs. The term tries to draw some distinction [/b]between pr[b]ograms invoked by some computer event and those invoked by other programs. However this distinction does not stand up to scrutiny, since the computer has usually to be running some program that prepares (and sometimes initially processes) the "stand-alone" program to begin with. Hence all programs are launched or prepared/processed by other programs (with the sole exception of the bootstrap loader), and no code can really be said to stand alone.

In software engineering, a web application—sometimes called a webapp and much less frequently a weblication—is an application that's accessed with a web browser over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. Web applications are popular due to the ubiquity of the browser as a client, sometimes called a thin client.


THIS THREAD IS ABOUT WEB BASED VS STANDALONE KAPISH.

Web base application and standalone application, i think from my own point of view as a network guy, web base application would have be fine for any enterprise application of any type, sbucareer  has said it all and i think i also support his motion. If the network is about 20-30 connected devices, it's understandable but if you re talking about 50 to infinite numbers of connected devices, then web application would be ideal.

For instance, a network admin trying to use a static form of addressing in a network of 100 connected devices-upward instead of using a dynamic addressing.

Now talking about intranet and internet web base application, i guess pulling the application from and intranet server would be as fast as it being on a standalone if the back end server is robust and process hundreds of client request with in a seconds, let say gigabit network solution is deploy, the response of the server will be as fast as you pulling it from a standalone. And again if clusters of server are deploy so that you can have network load balancing, you will have less down-time and some other advantages

Deploying a standalone application in an enterprise network would be highly un-professional for who so ever deployed it.

Now deploying a web base application vid the internet. This option is meant for servers for replica of database and wont be ideal for client-server deployment,

So are you guy saying that the network based standalone programs used by Banks for example are unrealistic and unefficient?

Or the standalone network based printing softwares used in companies for printing pool are unrealistic and unefficient?

hahahahaha funny man !