I have mentioned before that EnvisionConnect is powered by the latest dotNet technologies from Microsoft Corporation, including Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Reporting Services. 
EnvisionConnect is a “smart client” application built using Microsoft C# and Microsoft Visual Studio.
Someone said to me today...
"HL, I think I know what a smart client application is, but I'd like you to explain it in layman's terms. Why did Decade choose this type of platform for EnvisionConnect, as opposed to other web technologies like Java or ColdFusion?"
As I answered, I thought...
"This will make a great blog post!"
Smart Client—synonymous with "Rich Internet Application" (RIA)—is a term used to describe an application environment which:
- delivers software applications over a web
- provides automated installation and updates
- optionally automatically updates without user action
- has the look and feel of desktop applications
The term "smart client" is meant to refer to merging the benefits of a "thin client" (zero-install, auto-update) and a "fat client" (high performance, high productivity).
The Smart Client approach came about when businesses tried to develop web applications to replace desktop applications and discovered their user productivity decreased. This is because browser-based user-interfaces require server-side HTML generation. These applications are slower to use, as they are less responsive and have fewer short cuts, requiring more use of the mouse.
Smart Client applications bridge the gap between web applications and desktop applications. They provide the benefits of a web application (such as leveraging the Internet and offering remote access to data) while still providing the snappy look and feel inherent to desktop applications.
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