Client/server or cooperative processing?

This spring, I was working a booth at an information technology trade show in the Great Lakes region, on behalf of one of my clients. I was approached by a large number of attendees, some deeply committed to the concept of client/server computing and others only begrudgingly willing to go along with it.

One of the more interesting conversations I had was with a fellow who claimed to be in favor of client/server computing as it had been originally conceived, but not as it was now being practiced and preached. Instead, he proclaimed himself a proponent of "cooperative processing."

I was somewhat confused by his statement. (Of course, my wife accuses me of being somewhat confused most of the time!) I'm all in favor of cooperative processing, but, - for most business - the terms "cooperative processing" and "client/server computing" are effectively synonymous.

That's because client/server computing is a form or a type of cooperative processing and, again for most businesses, it's the only form of cooperative processing they practice, anticipate or need.

Cooperative processing (simply, the school of information technology which allows an application function to make use of more than one computer) breaks down into two basic camps:

* The client/server camp utilizes multiple computers by designing applications out of a simple "building block" construct: a pair of computers conducting a simple interaction wherein the "Client" makes all of the controlling decisions and the "Server" performers predefined assigned tasks at the behest of the client.

* The "Peer-to-Peer" camp, on the other had, uses multiple computers in a less obviously structured manner, wherein any computer can assign application processing to any other computer; all computers interact as functional equals or "peers."