I have been hearing about "cloud computing" lately so I decided to check out Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing
Cloud Computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.
The concept seems analogous to Web 2.0.
My impression is that the point of it is to have all documents etc accessible to someone with an internet connection- so you don't have to have your own computer anywhere. I've wondered whether the idea wasn't to have all software etc 'in the cloud' and you carry around your personal device (mobile phone comes to mind) and plug into a screen anywhere to conduct your business. Intriguing thought, but I wonder if it doesn't amount to the centralization of resources. By centralizing resources in a server bank, etc, you make them more vulnerable to disaster- whether it be man made or natural. The electricity grid is largely decentralized, so if one plant goes out, the load will be picked up by "the grid". I don't see the cloud as working that way, because we aren't talking about power, so much as we are talking about information- it can't be supplanted by another server farm which doesn't have your personal information. Interesting topic, and I'll need to read more to make sure I'm not just blowing smoke!!
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