case study front end and back end

Front-end and back-end are terms used to characterize program interfaces and services relative to the initial user of these interfaces and services. (The "user" may be a human being or a program.) A "front-end" application is one that application users interact with directly. A "back-end" application or program serves indirectly in support of the front-end services, usually by being closer to the required resource or having the capability to communicate with the required resource.

Front end and back end are generalized terms that refer to the initial and the end stages of a process. The front end is responsible for collecting input in various forms from the user and processing it to conform to a specification the back end can use. The front end is an interface between the user and the back end.

Front-end and back-end are terms used to characterize program interfaces and services relative to the initial user of these interfaces and services. (The "user" may be a human being or a program.) A "front-end" application is one that application users interact with directly. A "back-end" application or program serves indirectly in support of the front-end services, usually by being closer to the required resource or having the capability to communicate with the required resource.

Example - the Telephony Application Program Interface ( TAPI ) is sometimes referred to as a front-end interface for telephone services. A program's TAPI requests are mapped by Microsoft's TAPI Dynamic Link Library programs (an intermediate set of programs) to a "back-end" program or driver that makes the more detailed series of requests to the telephone hardware in the computer

In software architecture there are many layers between the hardware and end user. Each can be spoken of as having a front end and a back end. The front is an abstraction, simplifying the underlying component by providing a user-friendly interface.

In software design, the model-view-controller for example, provides front and back ends for the database, the user, and the data processing components. The separation of software systems into front and back ends simplifies development and separates maintenance.

For major computer subsystems, a graphical file manager is a front end to the computer's file system, and a shell interfaces the operating system — the front end faces the user and the back end launches the programs of the operating system in response.

In network computing front end can refer to any hardware that optimizes or protects network traffic. It is called application front-end hardware because it is placed on the network's outward-facing front end or boundary. Network traffic passes through the front-end hardware before entering the network.

In compilers, the front end translates a computer programming source code into an intermediate representation, and the back end works with the intermediate representation to produce code in a computer output language. The back end usually optimizes to produce code that runs faster. The front-end–back-end distinction can separate the parser section that deals with source code and the back end that generates code and optimizes; some designs (such as GCC) offer choices between multiple front ends (parsing different source languages) or back ends (generating code for different target processors).

In speech synthesis, the front end refers to the part of the synthesis system that converts the input text into a symbolic phonetic representation, and the back end converts the symbolic phonetic representation into actual sounds.
In the context of WWW applications, a mediator is a service that functions simultaneously as a server on its front end and as a client on its back end.

A front end can also be a piece of software that is designed to make using a computer in the car easy and enjoyable.  These software offerings will hide the Windows desktop and are designed with the driver in mind.  Items like big buttons, gestures, intuitive user interfaces, and customizable skins make Car Computing even more fun!

Impacts of Internet Technology and Electronic Commerce: Its Contribution to Information Systems Development

Define electronic commerce (EC) and describe its various categories
Describe and discuss the content and framework of EC
Describe the major types of EC transactions
Describe some EC business models
Discuss the benefits of EC to organizations, consumers, and society

Describe the limitations of EC
Describe the role of the digital revolution in EC and the economic impact of EC
Discuss the contribution of EC in helping organizations respond to environmental pressures
Discuss some major managerial issues regarding EC

E-Commerce: A Revolution in the Way We Do Business

From a business perspective, the Internet means OPPORTUNITY.

provides companies and individuals with avenues to obtain information
can enhance communications among employees, customers and vendors
increase human resource productivity
eliminates the barriers of time and distance
transactions can occur instantaneously and globally

Electronic commerce (e-commerce)
Sometimes called e-business.
Is financial business transaction that occurs over an electronic network.

Two popular types of e-commerce:
shopping
trading stocks

At first, e-commerce transactions were conducted primarily through desktop computers.
Today many handheld computers and devices can access the Web wirelessly.

m-commerce (mobile commerce)
e-commerce that takes place using mobile devices.

E-COMMERCE BUSINESS MODELS

Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
Business-to-Business (B2B)
Business-to-Employee (B2E)

1. Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

Consists of the sale of products or services from a business to the general public or end-user.
Seller : business
Buyer : consumer (public)

Products for sale can be physical objects or intangible items.

… by eliminating the middleman.

Disintermediation - businesses sell products directly to consumer without using traditional retail channels.

This enables some B2C companies to sell products at a lower cost and with faster service.

Consumers also derive benefits from the B2C business model

They have access to a variety of products and services without the constraints of time and distance.
Consumers easily can compare shops to find the best buy.
B2C web sites provide consumer services such as access to product reviews, chat rooms, and other product-related information.
B2C business target advertisements, determine needs and personalize offerings to a customer’s profile.

2. Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)

Consists of individuals using the Internet to sell products and services directly to other individuals.

Online auction
the most popular vehicle for C2C e-commerce.
one consumer auctions goods to other consumers. If interested, you bid on an item. The highest bidder at the end of the bidding period purchases the item.

3. Business-to-Business (B2B)

Consists of the sale and exchange of products and service between businesses.

4 basic types of B2B
Vendor
Service
Broker
Infomediary

4 basic types of B2B


Vendor B2B site (e-procurement site)
Is a product supplier that allows purchasing agents to use a network to shop, submit request for quotes (RFQs), and purchase items.
Service B2B site
Uses a network to provide one or more services to business such as financing, warehousing, or shipping.
Brokering B2B site
Acts as a middleman by negotiating the contract of a purchase and a sale.
Info-mediary B2B site (short for information intermediary)
Provides specialized information about suppliers and other businesses.