ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the development of client/server and shows how it has evolved to provide the foundation for the capabilities that have been described for netcentric computing. Netcentric is “an evolution of client/server that expands the reach of computing both within and outside the enterprise, and that enables sharing of data and content between individuals and applications.” A netcentric application might have the prospective policy holder complete the application form using a browser. Netcentric computing has brought new technologies to the forefront, especially in the area of external presence and access, ease of distribution, and media capabilities. Netcentric architectures support a style of computing where processes on different machines communicate using messages. Using the Gartner model, netcentric computing adds a new way of interconnecting and extending these processing layers, characterized by a set of open, common standards that the Internet has legitimized.
