Learn in the textbookApplying Virtualization and System Usage/Operation Modes
DefinitionA thin client (シンクライアント) is a system setup in which the terminal keeps only minimal functions such as input and screen display, while running applications and storing data are concentrated on the server side.
ExplanationWhat the user does on the terminal is sent to the server, and the screen showing the server's result comes back to the terminal. Because business data is not saved on the terminal's storage, a lost or stolen terminal is less likely to leak information, and software updates can be applied on the server side in one place. On the other hand, if the network or the server goes down, the terminal alone cannot keep the work going.
AnalogyIt is like a reading seat in a library. The seat has only a desk and a lamp, the books stay in the stacks, and staff show just the page you want on the seat's screen. Even if you carried the seat home, no book would come with it.
Memory hookThin refers to how little the terminal does, not to its physical shape, and its opposite is fat. The ordinary PC style, where the terminal holds both processing and data, is called a fat client (ファットクライアント).