Steven Jobs returned from sick leave for only the second time since last January to hype Apple's new "iCloud".
"Cloud" computing is not new.
For those unfamiliar with the concept there are several modes of computing:
1) Applications and data are stored on the user's local hard drive. If the applications are commercial they have to be installed either via a CD or DVD, or downloaded from a remote repository. This is the most common form of computer use among home users. The IRS requires this mode of operation when employees of state governments are sent IRS data. The computer has to remain in a physically secured location and access is strictly controlled and monitored, with complete logs being maintained. (Despite these measures most illegal access to IRS data is by IRS employees themselves.)
2) Applications are stored on the user's hard drive but the data is on a remote server. This is the "client-server" method of computing. This is/was a common form of corporate computing when tools like Visual Basic and Visual FoxPro were used to create in-house applications or commercial applications were purchased and deployed. This form is almost like cloud computing in that the data is stored remotely, but the remote server is usually on some node of the corporate network somewhere in the world.
There is a problem with distributing commercial applications via CD or DVD, or even by downloading. Previously installed versions often need to have security holes closed and bugs patched. To do this it was common for CD/DVDs containing replacement binaries to be mailed out to registered users. This often caused support problems because the software to replace the old binary with the new often had bugs, or didn't properly interpret every user's environment. This can sometimes be a problem on some hardware and some application configurations when replacement applications are installed from remote repositories using what is called "automatic updates". The need to have a regular stream of updates sent to the customer/consumer creates a big hole in the profit margins of proprietary software houses. How to eliminate this need?
3) Enter the cloud. Rather than sending out updates to hundreds of thousands (or millions of users) corporations decided it would be better for their bottom line if they put the application binary on a much fewer number of remote servers along with the user's data. The big difference is that the application is modified/converted/rewritten to run in a web browser or as an applet or script called from a browser. In a pure cloud environment a local hard drive is not necessary. This is a good deal for people on the road a lot who still need access to corporate or personal data.. The down side for corporate data is that cloud servers may follow the computer down the commodity curve to the cheapest provider, which would always be IT centers manned by the lowest paid workers on earth living in what are usually 3rd world or dictatorships. Imagine that, your corporate data and the applications to access it setting on physical servers in China, where the government controls and even owns the corporations. Your corporation is competing against a corporation in China? And you wonder why they seem to always second guess your strategic steps, even before you announce them or put them into play?
The corporations pushing clouds have other plans, as well. The user's data can be stored in a proprietary format with no exporting capability provided. While many times cloud computing is offered for free in the beginning, once the user is "hooked" (has too much data stored on the cloud servers with no way to get it off) then the data storage payments begin. Stop paying and your data is lost for ever. After a while an access fee can or will be charged for using the application. In other words, one has to continually pay to access their own data.
Do you need to have remote access to your data because it is more than what can be held in your laptop's 500GB or the 1TB USB external drive you carry around with your laptop? Or, you want to carry a netbook with 8 hours battery life because it doesn't have an HD but you need to access and/or store data? Or, you want to be able to stream video from your smartphone live, and keep it even if some cop snatches your smartphone from you and stomps on it to prevent you from recording his actions? The answer is simple. Just purchase your own domain name and contract with a hosting service. Just make sure the service you purchase is running Linux and has its servers inside the boarders of the US or Canada. Your own Internet server becomes your own cloud. Be sure to modify robot.txt to disallow any well-behaving spiders, like Google's, from mapping your site. This won't stop bad spiders from doing so, however, so don't give away any file hierarchy details in robot.txt. That, plus a good firewall, ssh and strong passwords. If you use it just for data you'll have to keep your applications on your local hard drive, but that's what you've been doing all along.
"Cloud" computing is not new.
For those unfamiliar with the concept there are several modes of computing:
1) Applications and data are stored on the user's local hard drive. If the applications are commercial they have to be installed either via a CD or DVD, or downloaded from a remote repository. This is the most common form of computer use among home users. The IRS requires this mode of operation when employees of state governments are sent IRS data. The computer has to remain in a physically secured location and access is strictly controlled and monitored, with complete logs being maintained. (Despite these measures most illegal access to IRS data is by IRS employees themselves.)
2) Applications are stored on the user's hard drive but the data is on a remote server. This is the "client-server" method of computing. This is/was a common form of corporate computing when tools like Visual Basic and Visual FoxPro were used to create in-house applications or commercial applications were purchased and deployed. This form is almost like cloud computing in that the data is stored remotely, but the remote server is usually on some node of the corporate network somewhere in the world.
There is a problem with distributing commercial applications via CD or DVD, or even by downloading. Previously installed versions often need to have security holes closed and bugs patched. To do this it was common for CD/DVDs containing replacement binaries to be mailed out to registered users. This often caused support problems because the software to replace the old binary with the new often had bugs, or didn't properly interpret every user's environment. This can sometimes be a problem on some hardware and some application configurations when replacement applications are installed from remote repositories using what is called "automatic updates". The need to have a regular stream of updates sent to the customer/consumer creates a big hole in the profit margins of proprietary software houses. How to eliminate this need?
3) Enter the cloud. Rather than sending out updates to hundreds of thousands (or millions of users) corporations decided it would be better for their bottom line if they put the application binary on a much fewer number of remote servers along with the user's data. The big difference is that the application is modified/converted/rewritten to run in a web browser or as an applet or script called from a browser. In a pure cloud environment a local hard drive is not necessary. This is a good deal for people on the road a lot who still need access to corporate or personal data.. The down side for corporate data is that cloud servers may follow the computer down the commodity curve to the cheapest provider, which would always be IT centers manned by the lowest paid workers on earth living in what are usually 3rd world or dictatorships. Imagine that, your corporate data and the applications to access it setting on physical servers in China, where the government controls and even owns the corporations. Your corporation is competing against a corporation in China? And you wonder why they seem to always second guess your strategic steps, even before you announce them or put them into play?
The corporations pushing clouds have other plans, as well. The user's data can be stored in a proprietary format with no exporting capability provided. While many times cloud computing is offered for free in the beginning, once the user is "hooked" (has too much data stored on the cloud servers with no way to get it off) then the data storage payments begin. Stop paying and your data is lost for ever. After a while an access fee can or will be charged for using the application. In other words, one has to continually pay to access their own data.
Do you need to have remote access to your data because it is more than what can be held in your laptop's 500GB or the 1TB USB external drive you carry around with your laptop? Or, you want to carry a netbook with 8 hours battery life because it doesn't have an HD but you need to access and/or store data? Or, you want to be able to stream video from your smartphone live, and keep it even if some cop snatches your smartphone from you and stomps on it to prevent you from recording his actions? The answer is simple. Just purchase your own domain name and contract with a hosting service. Just make sure the service you purchase is running Linux and has its servers inside the boarders of the US or Canada. Your own Internet server becomes your own cloud. Be sure to modify robot.txt to disallow any well-behaving spiders, like Google's, from mapping your site. This won't stop bad spiders from doing so, however, so don't give away any file hierarchy details in robot.txt. That, plus a good firewall, ssh and strong passwords. If you use it just for data you'll have to keep your applications on your local hard drive, but that's what you've been doing all along.
I keep about half a dozen large USB sticks in my pocket. Two are LiveUSBs of the latest Kubuntu release. Three or four are 16GB sticks containing backups of my data. They are formatted with EXT4, which Windows can't read and the vast majority of Windows users don't know how to install an EXT4 reader, or that such a beast exists. So even if I lose one more than likely it will be overwritten when the Windows offers to format the stick.
So, perhaps Steven Jobs didn't make iPods for old men. Wait .... he's an old man ...
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