The merging of Visual Basic and the ability to tie into real-time, distributed information using the Internet produces an interesting and very powerful tool. In the constant flux of the Internet, Visual Basic becomes a very practical choice for Web application development thanks to Visual Basic's rapid application development aspect.
Visual Basic can be used to create both client-side and server-side Web applications. A Web browser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer is one example of a client-side application. It is used to "surf" the Web-browsing the Web pages at a Web site and moving to other pages or to a completely different Web site by using the hyperlinks provided on most Web pages. Another example of a client-side application is an application that retrieves stock quotes from a quote provider's Web sites and provides the quotes to the user in some fashion. This application is not a Web browser but does access Web-based information.
Server-side applications run alongside a Web server, such as Microsoft's Internet Information Server. The server-side application is executed under the direction of the Web server, typically in response to a request made by a client-side application such as a Web browser. Server-side applications typically serve as gateways between a user's Web browser and information stored on the Web server that is not typically accessible using a Web browser. Such information can include database tables, information-providing machines attached to the server, and even OLE-enabled applications to which the server has access.
