'''Distributed programming''' falls out of the use of computers to form networks. Distributed programming typically falls into one of several basic categories:
* [[Client-server]] -- Smart client code contacts the server for data, then formats and displays it to the user. Input at the client is committed back to the server when it represents a permanent change.
* [[Three-tier (computing)|3-tier architecture]] -- Three tier systems move the client intelligence to a middle tier so that stateless clients can be used. This simplifies application deployment. Most web applications are 3-Tier.
* [[Multitier architecture|N-tier architecture]] -- N-Tier refers typically to web applications which further forward their requests to other enterprise services. This type of application is the one most responsible for the success of [[application server]]s.
* [[Remote procedure call]] -- This distribution system maps function calls to the network.
* [[Distributed object]]s -- Systems like [[CORBA]], Microsoft [[DCOM |D/COM]], [[Java RMI]] and others, try to map [[object oriented]] design to the network
* [[Loosely coupled]] -- Loosely coupled systems are ones that communicate through intermediate documents that are typically human readable. Examples include [[XML]], [[HTML]], [[SGML]], [[X.500]], and [[EDI]].
* [[Computer cluster|Tightly coupled]] (clustered) -- refers typically to a set of highly integrated machines that run the same process in [[parallel]], subdividing the task in parts that are made individually by each one, and then put back together to make the final result.
