Presentation Layer Architecture

The presentation layer is a vitally important part of an application — an inappropriately architected presentation layer can lead to too much complexity, a lack of flexibility and an inefficient and frustrating user experience. Thin client applications have well known benefits over traditional rich client applications in terms of deployment and manageability and this has led to their popularity in recent years. However, with the advent of smart clients, the choice of presentation layer architecture is no longer straightforward. Rich clients have evolved into smart clients that can combine the central management advantages of thin clients with the flexibility, responsiveness, and performance of rich clients.

This article discusses the thin and smart client approaches and provides guidance on how to choose between them.

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