TABLE OF CONTENTS The concept of users sharing computing resources is not new. The practice of this computing model dates back to mainframes with green-screen terminals. While computing has evolved dramatically since those early days, the basic premise of centralized computing hasn t changed a great deal. Centralized or server-based computing originally sprang out of the need for many users to have access to very expensive computing resources without actually placing a computer on each user s desk. This was the right approach for the time due to two primary reasons. First, computers then cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars to acquire and typically cost even more to maintain and operate. Second, computers were at best the size of large cars, so placing one on each user s desk would pose a serious space issue to any corporation. The benefits of centralized computing weren t as pronounced then as they are today. Centrally managed end-user devices weren t an option then, they were the only option. The ability to have a single point of update for applications and operating systems was the norm in the good old days. Providing hundreds of users access to a new application was instantaneous again, only one computer to upgrade.
Popularity for centralized computing waned for several years as the advent of the personal computer (PC) allowed end users to have the power of the mainframe on the desktop without the expense of the mainframe. Individual PCs gave rise to the need for...
