What do you make of "cloud computing"?

[Torsten]

What is your take on "cloud computing"? There are probably different definitions of this term, to me it means using software programs and storage space located somewhere on the web rather than on your local hard drive. For example, many people and companies use web based email accounts, calendars, spreadsheets, documents, etc.

The advantages are that often these services are free, that you don't need to bother about software upgrades, licenses and virus protection. One of the possible disadvantages might be that your data is stored on a web server that is used by people you don't know and maybe they can get access to your information. Nevertheless, I'm convinced that in the future the vast majority of all Internet users will start "cloud computing".

What do you think about this development?

Many thanks,
Torsten
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[Jamie (K)]

This is the first time I've ever encountered the expression "cloud computing", but a Google search shows me that it's not unknown. It makes me think a bit of the 1990s, when competitors strangled by Microsoft were promoting the idea of "network devices", which were computers that connected to remote hard drives but had no hard drives of their own. The idea didn't go over well, simply because people want their files to be somewhere where they can protect them.

I'm a bit more excited about "portable apps". The capacity of flash drives is getting so big that they can hold a functioning computer application and your working files. You can install programs like OpenOffice, GIMP and Audacity right onto your flash drive and run them wherever you want. You can even run your e-mail and a whole FTP client from your flash drive, and soon you're be able to run Linux from it. Just imagine that if you're worried about Windows security on an unfamiliar computer, you'll be able to launch Linux on any PC you happen to be at and do all your work that way. You'll have your operating system -- configured the way you want it -- and your productivity software in your pocket. Right now it's possible with the productivity software, but not with the operating system.

[NinaZara]

It's a convenient thing, to me. My supervisor can see my work anytime he wants. And even though I am in the process department, I do collaborative work with the R&D team on most of my projects, so I have a special permission to get any data/information from the R&D department. There are some areas that I can't enter though. Plus I don't have to worry about minimizing the files size. They can be as big as they come.