Web Forms applications have several advantages over traditional client-server and Windows Forms applications.
Web Forms applications do not require client-side installation, are easy to upgrade, have no distribution costs, and offer broad-based user access. Any user with a Web browser and an online connection can run Web Forms applications.
Windows Forms applications with the smart client feature combine the reach of the Web with the power of local computing hardware. They provide a rich user experience, with a response time as quick as the response times of equivalent client-server applications. The smart client feature simplifies application deployment and updates, and can take advantage of Sybase®'s MobiLink™ technology to provide occasionally connected capability.
| Application type | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Web Forms |
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| Windows Forms |
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| Windows Forms with smart client feature |
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Although PowerBuilder Classic continues to support traditional client-server as well as distributed applications, it also provides you with the ability to transform these applications into Web Forms and Windows Forms applications with relative ease.
The decision to convert an application to use Web Forms or Windows Forms depends upon the type of application you plan to convert. Simple inquiry, browsing, or reporting applications are suitable candidates for Web Forms deployment. If you need only part of an application to run in a browser, you can move this part and its dependent objects to a new target that you deploy with a Web Forms project.
Applications that require significant data entry, retrieve large amounts of data (for example, more than 3 MB per request), or have a complex user interface are more suitably deployed as Windows Forms.
If you need to deploy data entry intensive applications as Web Forms, you must allow for slower response times. However, you can enhance the performance of Web Forms applications by reducing postbacks to the server. You do this through the use of client-side events, or by refactoring code so that events associated with individual controls are combined and submitted in a single postback.
For more information on the relative advantages of Web Forms and Windows Forms, see the Microsoft Web site at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/5t6z562c(VS.80).aspx.