In terms of functionality, what is a defining feature of Fat Clients?

A defining feature of Fat Clients is higher processing power. Fat Clients are designed to handle most of the processing tasks locally on the client machine itself, rather than relying significantly on server resources. This means they typically have more powerful hardware, such as faster processors and more substantial memory, allowing them to run applications and perform computations independently of a server.

This increased processing power provides advantages for running complex software applications, facilitating rich user interfaces, and managing large datasets without needing constant communication with a server. Fat Clients excel in scenarios where a great deal of local computational power is needed, supporting functionalities that require heavy processing loads.

By comparison, Fat Clients do not typically embody characteristics such as low reliance on server resources, which would be more indicative of Thin Clients that depend on server processing. Increased maintenance costs and better mobility are also not defining characteristics; higher maintenance may relate to the need for more frequent upgrades or management due to the complexity of software running locally, while Fat Clients may not be as mobile as their Thin Client counterparts due to their potentially bulkier hardware requirements.