1.1 Overview

Welcome to Acucorp's thin client technology, an innovation that lets you display your server-based application on graphical display hosts.

Acucorp's thin client technology is designed for two main purposes:

1. To allow ACUCOBOL^TM-GT programs running on a UNIX server to present a full Windows graphical user interface (GUI) on PCs networked with TCP/IP. The application screens require conversion to graphical, but your application stays in one piece on the UNIX server.

2. To allow you to host your application on either a UNIX or Windows NT/2000 server and enjoy the benefits of centralized application maintenance and to adopt the performance characteristics of a "thin" architecture. Many applications perform better when deployed in a thin fashion compared to other networking techniques such as remote file access ("fat clients") or distributed processing. This is because thin client configurations execute COBOL programs on the server where data access is local.

The benefits of Acucorp's thin client technology are plentiful:

• UNIX users can enjoy the best of two worlds: the stability and security of the UNIX world in multi-user environments and the graphical nature of Microsoft Windows. Previously, UNIX users could use terminal emulation, move their applications to Windows and add a GUI, or split their applications into two or more pieces.
• UNIX applications can utilize ActiveX controls and Windows Help systems on Windows clients.
• Users can print locally on their Windows machine or on the remote server. They can also choose whether to perform local or remote debugging.
• You do not have to separate your application into multiple tiers or deploy any of your application logic on client machines.
• You can usually improve application performance by executing COBOL programs on the server where data access is local. Server processing eliminates the need to perform file operations over the network, which can be quite slow when many records are involved. This reduces network traffic, and often improves response time. (The thin client model does perform screen I/O over the network, but usually at a lesser cost than the file I/O that it replaces.)
• Administration is simplified when an application resides solely on a server. Installation is easier, as are upgrades, distribution, and management.
• Security is enhanced when an application resides centrally.
• The total cost of ownership for enterprise information systems is reduced. With server side processing, you take away many client requirements giving end users easier, more cost effective access to information.
• Users and enterprises enjoy increased flexibility with a choice of clients.
• Acucorp's thin client solution can run on any TCP/IP network, including the Internet.