What is a thin-client application?
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A browser that uses a plug-in to process user data.
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A distributed application where the client program does not process data, but instead passes data for processing to an enterprise bean running on an application server.
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An application that cannot be stopped by a firewall.
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An application compiled with the -thin option of the javac command.
A thin-client application is characterized by minimal client-side processing. The client primarily handles presentation and user interaction, while passing data to server-side components (like enterprise beans) for actual business logic processing. This reduces client complexity and centralizes processing.
A thin client keeps as little application logic as possible on the client side; instead of processing business data locally, the client passes requests to server-side components — such as an enterprise bean running in an application server — which do the actual processing and return results. This contrasts with a thick/rich client, which handles substantial data processing locally.