Software Development

A cloud application (or cloud app) is an application program that functions in the cloud, with some characteristics of a pure desktop app and some characteristics of a pure Web app. A desktop app resides entirely on a single device at the user's location (it doesn't necessarily have to be a desktop computer). A Web app is stored entirely on a remote server and is delivered over the Internet through a browser interface.

Like desktop apps, cloud apps can provide fast responsiveness and can work offline. Like web apps, cloud apps need not permanently reside on the local device, but they can be easily updated online. Cloud apps are therefore under the user's constant control, yet they need not always consume storage space on the user's computer or communications device. Assuming that the user has a reasonably fast Internet connection, a well-written cloud app offers all the interactivity of a desktop app along with the portability of a Web app.

If you have a cloud app, it can be used by anyone with a Web browser and a communications device that can connect to the Internet. While tools exist and can be modified in the cloud, the actual user interface exists on the local device. The user can cache data locally, enabling full offline mode when desired. A cloud app, unlike a Web app, can be used on board an aircraft or in any other sensitive situation where wireless devices are not allowed, because the app will function even when the Internet connection is disabled.

An intranet is an internal private computer network or connection of one or more computer networks, whose use and access is restricted to an organization and its employees. Transfer of data over this kind of a network is controlled using the internet protocols like hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and file transfer protocol (FTP). These kind of networks are used for ease of information sharing and communication in companies. In industries based on the Information technology sector, having intranets is absolutely necessary as their work involves a lot of data sharing. An intranet is controlled by a single server, generally which can adequately handle all tasks. Corporate intranets have restricted access controlled by user ids and passwords, which are not accessible to anybody on the outside.

Windows programs are software applications that are run on a computer that is also running Microsoft Windows as an operating system. A software application, or program, is a set of logical conditions grouped together to perform some function. Typically a Microsoft Windows application will be run within a "window" although that is not a requirement. A "window" in the context of software is an area of the screen set aside to run a single program and may or may not have options for controlling the position and size of the program area.

• • Microsoft Excel
• • Microsoft Internet Explorer
• • Notepad
• • Mozilla Firefox