Differentiation between web based and non web based?

First of all, the terminology is incorrect. There are web based applications and "computer" based applications, the latter of which operate from the computer, not from a browser.

These two are significantly different. The rudimentary difference comes from where the programs are run from. Web-based programs are run through a web browser or an equivalent program. Computer-based applications are run through the OS(Operating System), (Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X).

Each of these programs has their own pro's and con's. Web-based applications are nice because the user does not have to download or install anything before using them. They are able to be used from the browser. This also means that they can be used from many different computers while accessing the same program. For example, google Docs is a web-based Office suite that a person could access from any computer and work with their files. On the flip side, web-based applications can be slow to load, or if the server goes down the user could be out of luck.

Linux

OS based applications can be good. They are run straight from the OS, which generally improves the speed at which they run. However, they can only be accessed from that particular computer, which could be an issue if something happens to the computer.