Web-based or PC based for process control application?

I want to create a process control application. Events update the database and that should be reflected on the GUI.

Although I personally prefer Linux, the hard fact it that 100% of the potential customers I can imagine run Windows.

• Ok, for Windows I am comfortable with C++ Builder.
• I suppose I could switch to NetBeans and use Java just in case someone ever wants it cross-platform.
• browser based is probably the easiest way to cross-platform (barring some disagreements between browsers).

The thing about browser-based is I am not sure how to implement it. Would I auto-refresh the page every second or so? Can a database change be propagated upwards via PHP and refresh the screen? A very basic question, but I am new to this sort of thing, coming from an embedded background.

If all else is equal, which is easier for me to implement and maintain?

If it's real-time control, and you have to respond within a very narrow time band, then web based and Java based probably won't do it. If it's real-time control problem you ought to look elsewhere for a solution.

You can certainly use the web, Java and PHP to display results as they are produced, but the actual control and persistence to a database should be done with different technology.

I'd also be careful about writing to a database. It should be an asynchronous, "write behind" capability rather than the naive, "connect to a relational database and do an INSERT" sort of thing. I think that will be too slow.