When should you build a web application vs. a thick client?

Question

I would like to hear other people\'s advice on when one should build a web application versus building a thick client.

Over the last few years, I have participated in se

Answer 1

I believe we are still at the point where unless there is a reason for it to be a Web app it should be a local application (thick). It is obvious when it should be a web app. A pet peeve of mine is the thought that it should be a web app unless it's obvious it should be local. I don't believe we are at the point where enterprises are willing to have their employees dependent on web applications outside of their control. When it comes to apps internal to a company I believe movement of data, security, and deployment/upgrades are the key factors in deciding.

A couple of key reasons for an app to be on the web.

1. The application and data need to follow you around no matter what computer you are on.
2. The data needs to be centralized and the amount of data that needs to be transferred to the client is reasonable.

A few reasons to use thick apps:

1. Utilities that work on local resources.
2. Apps that do lots of one time processing of data.
3. Apps where data needs to be accessed when disconnected from the network.