the client. This approach also provides considerable total cost of application ownership savings since these applications are centrally managed and can be accessed by users without having to rewrite them. Basically, the thin client computing approach delivers all the benefits of both host computing and personal computing.Host Computing Benefits Single-point management Physically and technically secure Predictable ownership costs Mission-critical reliability Bandwidth-independent performance Universal application access Personal Computing Benefits Thousands of off-the-shelf applications Low-cost and fast-cycle application development Standards based Graphical, rich data and easy to use Wide choice of device types and suppliers * Source, www.citrix.com/products/A thin-client hardware device is connected to server-based system software. Because the applications it accesses are installed on the server, a terminal is not the equivalent of a PC with its operating system and array of local applications. Nor is it interchangeable with a network computer or NetPC, because these devices download and run applications off the network. The key criterion that distinguishes these thin-client terminals from other thin-client devices, such as NCs or NetPCs, is that there is no downloading of the operating system or applications, and there is no local processing of applications at the client. All execution of the application logic occurs on the server.The "thinness" of a Windows-based terminal and the many benefits of server-based computing make these thin clients ideal for certain types of workers and market segments. For example, task-based employees who primarily work with line-of-business applications, such as order entry, would be ideal candidates for a Windows-based terminal. Retail organizations operating point-of-sale terminals, and branch locations of banks and stores, are markets that are also rapidly adopting these thin clients. Ind...
