Web-based application:

A web-based application is an application that could just as well be a normal application. It now just runs in a web browser.
How
Web-based applications are based on Views for showing the objects and Form for changing them. The view provides a "safe" place where the users always return to after doing something using a Form or Wizard. The views are usually lists or tables that allow the display of information to be controlled. For example, using a Table Sorter or Table Filter. When tables are being used, consider Alternating Row Colors for making them better scannable. In applications such as a Content Management System, Tree controls are also widely used.

Web-based applications are often personal and therefore require users to Login. The information shown and the functionality that is accessible will depend on the user's identity or 'role'. That also means that not every users will see the same views or data per view. In some cases, users can use a demo account to see what the application looks like before commencing Registration.

Since web-based applications can be quite complex there is often help information or a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) as part of Meta Navigation. Other elements in the meta navigation are often 'logout', 'home', 'feedback' and so on.

A web-based application usually has a simple navigation mechanism that allows users to switch between views. A simple horizontal/vertical menu or Double Tab Navigation will usually suffice. The views are labeled based on the objects rather than the actions. The actions will be present in the view itself. However, in practice, some actions such as "compose email" are so important that they will be part of the navigation as well.




Web Enabled application:

Many recognize Web based applications as the future, but few realize their current applications can be "Web enabled".
Years ago, people expected to use programs and data only seated at terminals attached to the computer the programs resided on. Remote access was rare and reserved for a privileged few.
Now everyone demands access to everything from anywhere, at any time of day or night. To support this new world order, new applications are being developed in new languages like Java. These applications use Internet protocols to deliver the "user experience" to a Web browser interface - to PCs, to "Internet appliances" and NCs, to "palmtops", and soon to Web enabled cell phones. Uniform access can be offered over the company's LAN, over the Internet or over both. These are called "Web enabled applications".
Alas, as we know from the Y2K experience, old programs just don't go away. "Who'd have guessed software was imortal?" These older programs are definitely not "Web enabled", and many run on system incompatible with each other and with newer systems. Who can afford to rewrite all this older software from a whole new viewpoint?
Windows applications in particular perform very poorly with remote access, forcing people who need them elsewhere to use expensive remote control solutions, or, if they have the money and the technical expertise, Windows Terminal Server and Citrix MetaFrame. Aside from the expense, WTS/Citrix is a "Windows only" solution leaving mainframe, Unix and all other applications unserved.