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Put the 'Smart' in Smart Client
Building solid applications that are usable on desktops and mobile devices alike requires additional consideration from developers.
by Dan Fergus

Tech•Ed, June 8, 2005

Smart Cli•ent, n.1. Easily deployed and managed client applications that provide an adaptive, responsive, and rich interactive experience by leveraging local resources and connecting intelligently to distributed data sources.

Wait, don't leave! I didn't mean to run you off with a marketing definition, but that is how Microsoft defines a Smart Client. Using real language, you might define Smart Client as "an application that provides the best of both the Thick and Thin Client architecture." The application lives on your local PC, but it behaves as though it is part "explorer."

Is this a new idea? No. If you developed an application about 10 or 12 years ago, you didn't give much thought to whether the user's PC was connected to the outside world because he or she usually didn't have a reliable connection (except for big corporate clients). Today we have Web services, client/server architectures, designs, and architectures that require you to see the world beyond your PC.

Smart Client design today is more important because the PC world is becoming more mobile. In addition to developing for desktop PCs, you now must consider mobile devices such as the Pocket PC or a tablet device. These devices permit true mobility, and developing applications for them requires a thought shift from creating connected desktop applications.

There are many talking points on Smart Clients, but here is a short list of five important goals to consider when developing them: Utilize Web services, provide support for working both online and offline, enable device adaptability, reach beyond the host device, and provide a rich user interface.