CONNECTIONS

Years ago, it was common for an application to run on a central system with a ring of users operating through terminals or terminal-style network connections. This vision lives on today in the form of web-based applications providing software as a service. The web-application paradigm means no one has to burn the software onto a CD, package it in a colorful box, and ship it to a retail shop. In fact, you don’t even need to provide a download link or offer a help line for users who can’t get through the installation. All the end user needs to do is start up a browser and click on a link.