Thin and Thick Clients

Let me sneak in one more important concept: the idea of thin and thick clients. The thin-client environment is the Web; the thick-client environment is the standard client/server world. However, what we're really talking about is presentation .

The databases themselves ”and the programs, views, and so forth ”are still RDBMSs, and all the rules for SQL, SQL*Plus, and PL/SQL apply. What the Web does is make the data available through a browser. You will see some examples later in this book; just be aware that behind the scenes is still the Oracle database, Oracle Server, and all the necessary programs, views, security, and so forth. Everyone thinks the Web makes things really easy. You and I know that it still takes a lot of work. In fact, the Web has added another piece of complexity, but I'm sure you're ready for it.

So fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen. Here we go!