do most corporations use more web-apps than full programs?

[c_weed]

This is the second large(ish) company I've worked for and at both I noticed 90% of the programs they use are web-apps (or enterprise-apps). Is it normal for people working for corporations to mainly use web-apps as opposed to locally installed programs? Why is this, because it's easier to maintain?

[grumpy]

That is usually because of central administration and also because of requirements for record keeping.

People working in corporations need to share information. Otherwise, they are simply a bunch of individuals working independently, with more duplication or effort. Enterprise applications fulfill both requirements of workflow across multiple people (each person addressing part of a problem and passing it on to the next for sign-off or action) and for centralised record keeping (eg filing). It is easier to coordinate such things centrally, as well as maintaining the applications.

There is also a cross-over point where it becomes less resource intensive (people and infrastructure combined) to manage applications centrally rather than locally (eg an IT person individually updating particular applications on many machines). That cross-over point depends on the application (depending on how an application is designed and implemented it can be easier or harder to manage it centrally).

[wildcard_seven]

I think you nailed it at "easier to maintain", for the most part. No installations and updates, no OS or application conflicts (for the most part). That's the beauty of the web. The ugly part of course, being it is rather bleghggjg to attempt to code. It's gotten a lot better and cleaner, and I've recently begun to apprehend how some of that old-fashioned "regular application" goodness (and sanity! I particularly enjoy the sanity!) just may find it's way into a web app. It can be done. It comes in a much more round about way, but the benefits listed provide more than enough incentive.