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From: explainingcomputers
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  • Hey if you think this dude looks Kinna desporate say I

  • Uh, I would have gotten a LOT more out of that had the guy not had his voice recorded like he was speaking into a 50 gallon drum. Kinda ironic that he's talking the latest and greatest computer developments and innovations and he's doing it so crappily with an inferior microphone that makes it difficult too hear. TYPICAL.

  • This is great!

  • Most boring voice ever (sorry to say so).

    But very informative. Thanks for the upload. :)

  • lovin' this guy :D

  • Does he have to move his head every time he talks?

  • Check out a company called Abiquo: Follow them on twitter at #abiquo.

    Unlike other cloud products that were built as tactical solutions to support a specific hypervisor technology, Abiquo was developed from a strategic top-down perspective, to allow customer environments to both fully deliver on the promises of virtualization, and to transition geographically disparate datacenter installations and third party hosted resources, into a fully managed enterprise cloud operating at a global scale.

  • Green possible just alittle? The way it's gonna go down is this:1) you'll buy your Key 2) You will boot into a "cloud OS period........... No more OS issues unless the cloud crashes which is made almost(almost) impossible.....

  • Hey You Mr. Christopher Barnatt, what will you do when the internet access is low, weak, just stop or has a breakdown?

    WILL CALL THE IT TEAM?

    Everytime when a new market tendency is created nobody think about the future as a troubleshooting, it's like to make a bridge for tank's passing over a elementary school.

    ALWAYS when somebody shouts "let's cut the company costs" you must understand as "which dudes we shall resign? Now we have a reason!".

  • Talks like c3po from star wars wtf... very distracting. I learned nothing gotta did another video explaining this. Terrible presentation...

  • It has more flexibility than other network computing systems and saves time plus money for people who are in a time crunch. Check out Nick Carr's video on Cloud in the New Normal; Efficiency to Innovation

  • alot, i mean alot clearer than all other videos i checked!!

  • Nice video - it's all about only paying for what your organization actually needs when they need it - check out the "cloud computing" and "cloud luminaries" playlists on catechnologies YouTube channel - good information there ;)

  • Nice video - it's all about only paying for what your organization actually needs when they need it - check out the "cloud computing" and "cloud luminaries" playlists on catechnologies youtube channel - good information there ;)

  • is that Jasper Carrot? What a nerd! The way he moves his head about is really annoying..

  • I just starting my career as DBA. Do you know there's already platforms like SQL, Oracle or even MS Access to manage databases? I think is going to be strange using a cloud instead of a real software. Thanks...Nice video!

  • Is it possible to use adobe/photoshop through cloud computing?

  • @fahmidabratina10 There is a great cloud Photoshop clone called Pixlr -- it includes layers, a history brush and more. Google "Pixlr" or checkout my "Top Free Cloud Applications" video here for more.

  • What does clcoud computing mean for IT support admins? Will there be no need for them?

  • Very good description of Cloud Computing. I also really enjoyed how Christopher Barnatt managed to "over-act" in a lecture. Hahaha

  • for more definitions and explanations on cloud computing by experts go to

    knol.google.com/k/ashwin-manju­natha/cloud-computing-definiti­ons-mp3/100z03x9pqbop/1#

  • Thanks for the coherence and the use of examples.

  • What a geeky dork.

  • It may be just me but surely cloud computing has been around for donkeys years. Why is this any different to corporate infrastructure whereby the machines that actually sit on peoples desks contain only a NIC and graphics card and access virtual desktops and storage from a core server in the basement...

  • really good explanation. cheers.

  • Early 2011 there was a brand new book released about Oracle Fusion Middleware and Cloud Computing .

    Check out "Middleware and Cloud Computing" at Amazon covering Oracle on Rackspace, Amazon and the RightScale Management Platform

  • So can I create some massive installation/server thing and have people pay me to use part of it?

  • @smokenfly514 Yes, that's the basis of the idea! Or you can rent server space from a big supplier (eg like Amazon Web Services) and sell it on to others -- and there are plenty of firms doing that.

  • People dont want this, you can tell that by the mentioned EeePC's. most people would rather erase whats on it and install Windows.

  • I have to research this stuff for a college assignment. This definitely made my life easier. It also kinda scared me a little... not sure how I feel about this cloud stuff.

  • Comment removed

  • Can cloud computing be green computing??????????

  • @kohila17121978 Yes indeed it can -- as low-power PCs can be used to access cloud processing power and applications. And the servers in cloud data centres can run at optimal capacity. See my video called "The Three Reasons to Cloud Compute" for more -- or the "cloud" section on my explainingcomputers website.

  • the way this guy talks is annoying me, i cant even watch it. does he have to move his entire body every time he says a word?

  • I agree - the knowledge is good and easy to understand but the voice is patronising and ANNOYING!

  • When i first started watching this vid i immediately thought it was a joke. I thought "Nobody could be THAT nerdy looking in the 21st century and not be a parody of Clive Sinclair et al", but alas this is a real man with a real lack of style. Great video though.

  • Cloud computing has its advantages but it also has many downsides like privacy security and control of your own data.

  • Very well done. 10 out 10 Very heplfull explaning. Thanks!

  • I like how courteous everyone is over here compared to other videos on youtube. Just comes to show you the real reason why your all here; to learn.

  • The electricity market was completely manipulated 100 years ago, and thats why we have had every energy crisis since then, and huge companies have infinite profit margins.

    Just type in J.P. Morgan and Tesla.

    And so goes the google/nsa and the web.

  • my company does cloud comuting for small business' any one interested 626-739-0020 monrovia ca market@rdpcloud.net

  • Well explained and strait to the point Thanks....!

  • Nice and clear explanation, thanks a lot!

  • This was so useful. Thank you!

  • what is green computing then? how green computing in going to be in the future? how clouds can be green?

  • @RainbowMarket sorry i meant green cloud not green computing.

  • @RainbowMarket cloud vendors can run their servers more efficiently -- at (say) 80 per cent capacity, rather than the (typical) 30 per cent capacity found in many company data centres. With less hardware powered-but-idle, they therefore waste less power. If people use cloud resources, they can also access them using low-power, highly energy efficient computers. I'll be posting a new video covering this issue in the next month. See also my green computing video or my explainingcomputers website.

  • what is green computing then? how green computing in going to be in the future? how clouds can be green?

  • Great explanation Chris. Thanks for the data.

  • Dude looks like the proverbial nerd :)

    Very useful info, though.

  • Dude called Hardware as a Service (HaaS) "HSaS"... d'oh!

  • good !

  • Dude, I think you shouldn't have standed in front of the camera. Your mimicks and head movements really gave me a headache.

    Thanks for the useful information, though.

  • @nezavisimost *stood*. sorry, i just had to.

  • but what advantages does cloud computing have for organisations with large databases?

  • decentralized = good

    renting centralized servers = bad

  • it will be nice present in ppt

  • Another great video that I have added to my favourites. Cloud is like virtualisation 2.0 with everything as a service mixed in. It's here to stay.

  • Comment removed

  • this is an excellent, no nonsense style of presentation. the content is informed and instantly comprehendible. if only other educational resources were this articulate! thank you.

  • Do you think Banks are going to use this. Do you think High Teach companies with proprietory information will use it. Do you think Government agencies will use it. OK, may be normal citizens to store garbage, photos etc.

  • I would like to think they would not...but then you would assume that bankers and financial "experts" would realize that the housing market can't sustain 20% increases year after year. Anything is possible, greed has a tendency to override all.

  • Can you protect data from Chinese and Russian hacket ? Noooooooooooooooooooooo.

    Chines and Russian will find all what they need in one pot, what a brainstorm. Sure the name looks attractive, but the details are in the cloud too.

  • Cloud computing is based on the idea of putting personal and company data on servers and just trusting whoever owns the server. That is an inherently foolish thing to do. You see that kind of stripping-away of privacy being imposed in police states, and that is what the USA is becoming.

  • What you say about trusting server owners is true. However, anybody who sends an e-mail attachment is trusting the administrator of every server and router it passes through with the privacy and security of that message or part thereof. Most of us surrendered to the cloud long ago . . .

  • I agree, many surrendered privacy long ago, which is why I was particularly appalled when I learned some days ago that Yahoo is selling their users' emails to US spy agencies for small sums. (Details:cryptome dot o r g)

    But the solution isn't more of the same, it's more security and less reliance on strangers. Rather than using others' servers, use home-based servers. Instead of unencrypted transmission of emails, switch the industry over to encrypted.

    And no rented or closed-source software.

  • Given that cloud computing will most likely result in much IT infrastructure and operations being moved to regions where cheaper labor prevails, what would you suggest that IT workers in Europe and the US do to cloud-proof their careers?

  • When it comes to cloud computing, over the next decade I think most IT people will either be part of the steamroller or part of the road. Due to cost, environmental concerns and new app types, the cloud will win. You therefore cloud-proof your career by embracing the cloud. Companies will still have (smaller) IT departments administering their SaaS, PaaS and IaaS provision and client access devices. So be the IT person that shows a company how to save money and be more flexible.

  • "So be the IT person that shows a company how to save money and be more flexible." I can see the cloud is going into China/India, following engineering and IT jobs. When people call for support, they talk to somebody from China/India. I guess that is where Cloud will be going, that where support personel is.

  • Good question, thanks you.

    But there will never be response, those creating Cloud computing they will have to train Chinese and Indians. I expect US to turn into a big nursing home and we need to get some training in nursing instead. No need for doctors. Surgeries and much cheaper transplants will be performed in China. "Lot of body pieces"

  • lol

  • @explainingcomputers It basically turns you back into a slave of some other guy. Centralization means relinquishing your freedom. I much prefer as an individual to keep my apps running locally, on my local commodity hardware and software I can control from source. No proprietary protection money. LINUX + PC = freedom, I can put on the net what I choose. GPG for email etc. Cloud makes better sense for organizations who would need mundane IT to keep pace with rapid growth.

  • yes cloud computing means that you will be controlled by those people. and you will pay bills forever like a SLAVE.

    no freedom and they know ANYTHING you do ! you work on a cool project of billions.don't worry, the clouds owners will know. and they will have your files, your source of income, they will know how much money you have so how they can take them out of you. they'll know EVERYTHING about you and control that.

    THAT IS THE TRUTH behind this "cloud". to enslave everybody forever.

  • While this concept is phenomenal, certain questions and concerns arise. What happens when that centralized "cloud" becomes compromised or attacked? There goes the data and personal information of billions of people. Also, having the access of personal and local software and hardware does provide advantages. Many of these advantages, are centered in security issues. What I have yet to understand is whether the "cloud" is actually just a physical server or servers maintained by a third party?

  • I'm not at all convinced on the merits of cloud computing.

    One particular concern is that such level of centralization may make it more vulnerable to attack. And, while you can make a system as secure as it possibly can be, there will always be somebody who may find a way past your security measures.

    I can definitely see how a major DoS attack can cripple people or organizations reliant on cloud computing.

  • you look like a bill gates mixed with a beatles member

  • Thanks for the video explanation. I will pass this on.

  • A "centralized database"? That means they will hire people to monitor your internet activity. This is bullshit and another method used to control the population. Web 2.0 is also called Internet 2. This is how they will control what you see by censoring websites they don't want you to have access to.

    FYI Both Amazon and Google uses "cloud computing". Yahoo doesn't (at least not yet).

  • Actually, Microsoft is also taking a huge interest in cloud computing, I think they will stay on top ofthis paradigm shift also. Either way, cloud computing is evil. The world is centralizing waaaay too much. And the internet will be the first to fall. really sad...

  • it is a fantastic way of levelling the playing field. Plues has anyone thought of the massive benifits this offers to beoth developping and the under developped world. Think of the number of people that are going to connected to the information world. Plus the thougt of carrying our complex simulations online rather than paying purchasing expensive infratructure is one of the many advantages i can think of. as with any new technology ppl will accept this one too in no time.

  • I think Cloud computing is the future. Why control your own crm and pay extra money for the expensive ict controller? 100 years ago you pay sally an extra buck for cleaning and nowadays your rent a company for cleaning. You don't want to think about dirty floors don't even mention manage it, because you want to run your core business. Making money isn't it? Not making unecessary costs or is it?

    Company founders you all can do what you do best and that is MAKE MONEY so Go CLOUD COMPUTING.

  • total control over all people......

  • i agree 100% i hate cloud computing

  • Excellent video, very clear and sensibly organized.

  • These are good questions, regarding security, privacy, and the role of the individual vs. the corporation in terms of technology adoption trends. More importantly, I don't think people have addressed up-time enough in regards to cloud computing.

  • Hi

    To be honest i wouldn't trust cloud computing for big organizations, as its not secure As most of us know that its easy to manipulate and change information in virtual world. And also if you have a big business will you trust cloud computing apps?? and this is the key question, but it will be definitely useful for small businesses and individuals.

  • So..........now we are being asked to just own a dumb terminal that we pay to hook up to some mainframe in the back room (cloud in the sky). Isn't this what computer systems first looked like in the dark ages.......like back in the 60's & 70's?

    I like to be in control of what I create & manipulate!!!! How about the rest of you out there?

  • Perhaps you should watch the video again. You may not have got it the first time.

  • @YouCanBeWealthier Yes you are right! and what about if you don't have internet connection you can't do anything... all your files/documents, applications, are online not locally that is a real drawback. MAJOR FLAW IN COLUD COMPUTING!!!

  • Cloud computing is attractive from individual point of view. Individuals are already using cloud computing to some extent The individual is always little less careful about his personal data, so he wont mind participating in cloud computing. Hence individuals use GMail or other Mail service but almost all companies have there own mail servers. Cloud computing will impact S/w industry itself & successful cloud computing companies will be the future "Federal Reserve of Data".That's worrisome.

  • Its not completely correct to say, Cloud computing = Utility computing. For e.g. We buy electricity utility without worrying about "our information". And that's a BIG BIG difference compared to Utility example with respect to Cloud Computing. Although encryption is a totally reliable way to access "our information", the dependency on Cloud computing will increase ten fold and that's an area where cloud computing has all the potential to cause political battle in the business world.

  • Good comment. I'd only argue that (a) there is a limit as to what can be covered in an introductory video, and (b) many users will use cloud resources like utilities even though (as you note) this does raise issues for IT departments and companies more broadly in terms of security.

  • Problems Accessibility; can u guarantee that your network our mine will always be up? Security; How do i know that my files are safe? And Ownership: are those document still mine after i send them in?

  • From the perspective of a hacker. It is infinitely easier for me to break through the meager security on a personal computer than it is for me to take on a Google server. In a way, your documents are safer. But that ownership idea. You bring up a very good point. I had never really thought about it.

  • Now this I totally agree with! I've never bought the argument that the cloud is unsafe in comparison to most personal computers, or even most data centres. As soon as we send an e-mail attachment we are trusting every company that runs the Internet infrastructure it passes through with our data. The cloud just makes it more obvious that we are trusting companies with our stuff. But we are all doing it already! :-)

  • LOL

  • The internet as it used to be will be gone forever.

    No more freedom.

  • Thank you Christopher Barnatt! You put the SAS in SASsy!

    Stay safe, my friends.

  • Hi there,

    I would love to subtitle this to spanish, could you please enable that option?

    Thanks

  • English accent definitely makes it interesting. So if i can take away 2 or 3 things from this video, they are

    1. Electronic Information can be retrieved and processed by a 'Cloud'.

    2. Cloud combines & delivers HaaS & SaaS but the key to it's success is ability to manage and optimize a particular cloud (because clouds can potentially be energy hogs).

    3. This 'cloud' in context is very different than the physical cloud.

  • Thank you soo much this vid was very helpful keep posting....

  • Good Work mate :) i am in my second year of A-level Computing and it is very difficult to find good resources on the internet but i am sure to be using you videos again!

  • Well thats one mega geek if I ever saw one ^_^

  • Nice to see that you have subscribed! :-)

  • zxrax puts it perfectly below. As for my own views on the wider isssue, I suggest you type "death of economics" into the YouTube search box which will take you to my own video on the subject.

  • This shit is nothing but another way to stop software sharing and to make already poor americans pay for "certain" unecessary software that otherwise could be shared. Althogh this service has a few advantages, it still promotes greedy control of free share and use, and it also promotes many economical dependencies as opposed to independency all across the board. this is corporate control going even higher and further than it already has. education should be free. destroy capitilasm!

  • You're a moron, it's the exact opposite of forcing americans to pay for unnecessary software. It's offering services for free to users that can be accessed from any device with an internet connection.

    Some services are paid for, but the services are things that people pay for because they need them (Example, the storage on Amazon? You wouldn't pay for that unless you needed it... or unless you're a total moron).

  • no your a fucking moron. route enemy is capitalism all together you fucking dickwad! capitalism thrives off of ignorance and greed you dumb dipshit! educate "all" of the people for free and then we dont need all of these fascist companies ruling over the mases as a unified murderous monopoly over the people! let the gift of learning, sharing, and living wealthy for free in harmony with the world be the new capitalism! but no...you greedy sick fucks want most of the money to be worshiped over!

  • Someone's a hippie...

  • very nicely explained..

  • By far the easiest to understand explanation of cloud computing I have run across.

  • @dlanning1979 i was just about to make the same comment, the presenter is so eloquent and slow to explain his facts. I love this so much.

  • Content is very out of date.. Not a mention of Windows Azure, Building block services etc... Very Google centric presentation..

  • Thanks for your comment. However, look at the date! This video was made in May 2008. And I guess you mean Google centric in an "also Amazon EC2, Clarizen, Salesforce, et al" kind of way?! :-)

  • It is true that Microsoft and Amazon have begun commercial cloud systems for individual client use? Supposedly, at about 12 USC an hour, you can export processes to a server, have them do the work for simple browser functions.

  • Very good and informative presentation. Thank you!

  • NUBS Computational Finance student here. Might I suggest more diagrams and animations so that your voice takes the role of the narrator instead of a lecturer? Also, I would suggest replacing all the effects and sounds with others that have a little more organic feeling to them, not unlike the Wii menu background music.

  • good article

  • IT people like to invent alot of things and calling big names out of small ado. This is just VM and encapsulated interface. It's just what java is trying to achieve. Nothing new, just new unintelligent terms to blow a Big Cloud when nerds are bored.

  • I accept what you say about labels in general. However, there is far more than Java going on here. Companies like the Telegraph Media Group now writing national newspapers in Google Docs, or companies scrapping corporate data centres in favour of Amazon EC2, are making radical IT mindset changes in addition to just using online technology. Does the word cloud matter? Definitely not. But is computing becoming a commodity service for individuals and organizations? Absolutely.

  • 1:53, Hardware as a Service is HsaS? Sorry, good job though.

  • Oh dear! You are quite correct -- I say this wrong. Fortunately the caption is right though as "HaaS". Oh well. It took over 75,000 views for anybody to notice! :-)

  • maybe noone cared enough to mention it...

  • That was really helpful, even with the corny music and sound effects, thanks!

  • Excellent video. Very informative. I learned a lot. Thank you :-)

  • great video.

  • excellent presentation, crisp, clear and informative ... thanks brother

  • good job!

  • (|0ud (0mpu71n6 15 5h17.

  • Excellent intro. simple & effective.. Thank you & keep up the good work

  • Good end to end explanation of Cloud computing in layman's terms. Small correction though. Microsoft has also embraced cloud computing by means of

    Windows azure.

  • he-the lecturer- seems to be a computer robot.

  • top stuff !!

    nottingham uni's finest business lecturer!

  • Yes, but I had to write it first! :-)

  • I know...it's cool

  • Thank you very much, informative, clear and interesting. Big thumbs up!

  • A very good explanation! Finally understood what cloud computing is about and now I can grasp the enormity of it - a great thing! Thank you!!

  • Christopher, Thank you so much for your straightforward and no nonsense explanation - I thank God for Geeks like you - and I do mean that as a very sincere compliment! I will be checking out your site and sharing your resources with my community.

    You rock! Sandra

  • koskhol

  • he is amaizing....!

  • so what is this cloud everyone is talking about?

    is it just a bunch of computers with the necessary software installed on them?

    who will run them and be responsible for them? why would i trust them?

    what if somebody from the server took a copyrighted material that i was working on and decided to publish it and claim it for himself?

    i don't know why people just talk about the "bright" side of cloud computing.. it's easy to find a thousand flaw in this system and I'm not even a programmer.

  • Instead of installing the program on your computer, you would go online, and use the application. You'll be able to access your info from any computer with internet access.

    I admit that what you say can be an issue, but if you feel safe enough to buy stuff online with your credit card, I think you should feel safe enough not to loose your ideas.

  • Web 2.0 is related, but not in as emphasis given in the session. Concept of Web 3.0 may bring to the vision of clouds.

  • Great video. At first I thought you were Conan O'Brian's twin brother! If you remove the glasses & change your hair, you could easily pass for him.

  • Thanks a lot, it was very helpful.

    I guess cloud computing isn't exactly meant for desktop users, at least not yet! But it makes sense to have it in a huge organization.

  • cloud computing does go hand in had with web 2,0 but I believe web 2,0 is more about accessibility to data and apps and cloud computing is more about rationalization of computing resources and speed of deployment. the problem i see with cloud computing is the current lack of integration between core business apps like hr, crm, email, financials, etc. How many BI tools or data warehouses could be hosted in the cloud?

  • I pretty much agree with the above. I think that the key concept of Web 2.0 is making new forms of online connection between people, services and applications, whilst the key concept of cloud computing is the detachment of computing resources from any even notional location. At present cloud computing is not mature enough to allow its application as widely as is likely to be the case in, say, three to five years time. And some apps will never enter the cloud.

  • I had a customer who had 1500 contacts on her Yahoo email account. She called me crying because someone hacked her account and Yahoo would not help her. They only offered to create a new ID for her. This is the fear I would have with intellectual property and personal information on systems I have no access to. Very risky.

  • This is a solid and common criticism of cloud computing. However, I would never suggest (a) not having a back-up of key data, and (b) relying on a free service for a mission-critical part of a business. In other words, comparing free SaaS tools with paid-for installed software is not a like-for-like comparison. For-a-fee SaaS tools would (I hope!) have better support than you mention above.

  • Thanks for giving my first grasp of cloud computing. Very concise. Thank you.

  • Thanks for the video. Well spoken.

  • You are the epitome of a geek, mate. Love the jumper!

  • I also just watched your video on Web 2.0 and I cant seem to work out the difference between that and cloud computing especially the areas on SaaS. Does Cloud Computing come under the umbrella of Web 2.0's focus on Saas? Thanks

  • There is a lot of overlap. Remember both cloud computing and Web 2.0 are just labels to try adn help us get a handle on a complex world! :-) I would say that Web 2.0 developments are a sub-set of cloud computing. The latter is more broad, taking in a new model of computer use, and in effect hardware as well as software change.

  • I thought it was a really good video and helped me get a better overal understanding of cloud computering. I was just wondering if you have any links to some good academic papers on the research of cloud computering, areas such as the future. Also what are the links between Web2.0 and Cloud Computing? #

    What are views on the drawbacks of Cloud Computer, arent you restricted in your creativity by the software you are provided?

  • Thanks for this. If you go to ExplainingComputers website you will find sections on cloud computing and on Web 2.0, both of which also contain links to other sources. In terms of creativity, yes there is restriction -- but also freedom to work more flexibly across a broader range of devices and locations. In practice, cloud computing will I think in future dominate basic "office" and some consumer apps. However, locally installed software will still be needed by most professionals.

  • Why don't they just call it "net computing", why have to make up a different word when refering to the internet?? The internet is not a cloud, its just the internet. Hate it when these fags feel the need to gay up my computer experience. No offense to the gay community, but you know what I mean.

  • "Cloud computing" is not my term, so don't shoot the messenger! :-) I guess the "cloud" term has risen to popularity to highlight the cloud of devices and resources in use, which is a broader concept than just the application of the Internet -- though I do take your point. This all said, none of the labels -- "cloud computing" or "Web 2.0" or whatever matter -- the key thing is the conceptual change. But if labels can help some people (and the media!) to get a grasp on this, so be it.

  • Unfortunately programmer can not always abstract from location and scope of their code execution. So, cloud computing is no panacea.

    bobgoh: You are 100% correct, actually in 1998 me and my team developed a Delphi application that ran on similar concept even through 28.8 connections. It is being used to this day and my former boss charges clients "per month per transaction count". People just get crazy with so-called technologies and "trends".

  • Not to critique this particular video, but what these "cloud" videos are not saying is that the majority of world applications are absolutely not suitable for this. Dont get me wrong, I was using Google Mail etc. since their first day, but when I mix music in Cakewalk(Sonar), or support my local inventory system that works with bar codes and cash registers through RS232... this does not make any sense.

  • It seems to me that "Cloud Computing" is the buzz word for "ASP - Application Service Provider". ASP already exists in late 90's

  • Yes, ASPs were offering applications online 10 years ago. However, for most users the bandwidth was not available to use such services. Cloud computing also involves data and hardware as well as applications in the cloud, and -- like so many computing developments -- is kicking into gear now as key infrastructure developments (including high-speed broadband and lower-cost mobile Internet access devices like ultramobiles) are making it far more usable and attractive.

  • Years ago we used to use dumb terminals to access applications on a remote mainframe. Cloud computing sounds like a return to this idea.

  • To a large extent what you say is true. However, the difference is that the remote resources will often be provided by an external supplier. They will also be acccessible from any kind of connected device. These various thin clients that access the cloud will also not be entirely dumb.

  • Cloud computing is all fine and dandy, but what happens if you don't have a internet connection ? You cant get anything done. I prefer to have my word-processor and spreadsheets local. IMO cloud computing is OK for something like email.

  • I agree that I would/will want to keep some applications and data local. However, there are also many occasions where being able to get at and share files and the programs to access them from any device anywhere is already incredibly useful. For corporate IT departments, a cloud model also makes users far easier to service -- especially if some of them are working remotely (eg as teleworkers) as is likely to be a continuing trend.

  • WOW- very insightful and educational. i really really got alot from that - Thanks mate (and all under 6 mins !!)