Client/server systems began in the early 1980’s with the introduction of the personal computer (PC). In the beginning, most PC’s were used by individuals and not connected to a network. It took several years before local area networks were widespread in organizations.
The main difference between mainframe and client/server systems is that the mainframe dumb terminal has no processing capability, while the client computers, the PC on your desk, can process data.
Client/server systems use relational databases to store and manage data. There are several development languages and tools available that enable developers to quickly create business applications.