In computing, some applications and devices are designed to operate in a standalone fashion.
Most applications, however, feature at least some data pipe interaction.
This results in the need for servers and is the core of the client-server model.
This usage will likely be more common in business environments than in hardware or software devices that access servers.
There may be exceptions when dealing with IT departments and other technical groups.
The actual meaning should generally be evident from the context.
Thin clients usually are lightweight and provide access to remote data and processing.
Thick clients are generally more substantial, deal primarily with local data, and use local processing power.
A thick software client is usually easy to understand.
It is an system that processes local data on the local gear.
Some examples are single-player games, photo editing programs, and office software.
Here the data is stored, and the processing happens on the server.
Messaging applications and remote desktop applications can be good examples of this, as can websites.
Software-thick clients require significantly more processing power and storage from the hardware.
Thick clients need more powerful computers as they require more local processing power.
Almost no applications fit perfectly into one box.
However, it essentially only exists to display web pages that are themselves, generally, thin clients.
An online video game may perform a lot of processing on the server.
Still, much processing power is also needed on the gadget, typically primarily in graphical processing.
Hardware Clients
A thin hardware client is typically a relatively small computer.
Hardware thin clients generally intend only to perform light processing tasks and need minimal storage.
Hardware-thick clients are intended to perform much more processing than their thin cousins.
They often have higher spec hardware which is more expensive and needs more cooling.
It is primarily the cooling that increases the physical bulk of these machines.
The use of client in this context originated in the days of the mainframe computer.
Relatively cheap clients were connected over a connection.
These clients couldnt perform any actual tasks or run any software independently.
They could relate to the mainframe computer and instruct it to perform the tasks.
Can a Hardware Thin Client Run Software Thick Clients?
A thin hardware client is still a fully functional computer.
Its just not provided with many system resources as its generally not intended to need them.
It may be able to run some thick software clients, but performance may be limited.
Particularly intensive applications may not be able to run at all.
For example, a hardware-thin client should be able to run an office program or a web web client.
It may even be able to do some photo editing, though it may struggle with editing large photos.
Clients are typically used directly by people.
They are broadly split into two subclasses, thick and thin clients.
