Cloud Computing: New Name, Same Old Tech

[Mr Pizza]

Im ok with cloud computing as long as its free

 

[sublifer]

They are all sub-systems of cloud computing. SaaS is the software layer of cloud computing. Seti@Home is an example for what we refer to as the grid-computing layer. Google Docs is just software (service) as well. All those technologies (and a few more) combined represent parts of cloud computing. The cloud unifies individual computing ideas of the past and describes a way how we acquire them and how we pay for them

Wolfgang, others who argue... it irks me when people insist on cloud-computing as a new idea. Its just a trendy name for SaaS/internet and its being bandied about by completely non-technical people. Maybe I'm old school, maybe you're just not following or paying attention to your own arguements... whatever. Straight from wikipedia which you mention above: "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." So how does email, google, "SaaS", not fit that? If you're on the internet, then you are on someone else's web server and using their resources. Whether you pay for it or not it still there and it hasn't changed. The only thing cloud-computing has done is open up a new opportunity for companies to hop onto the SaaS and internet bandwagon but do so with a trendy new name. The use of the term makes me sick. Yes you can use it describe what you want and how you want but it boils down to client-server computing that has been around since the 70's. If you charge for your service (by usage or however you like) you can call it SaaS as it IS a paid service. Otherwise you can simply call it networking/internet. Call me old fashioned but every time I hear someone proclaiming themselves as the latest and greatest "cloud-computing" service I throw up a little in the back of my throat. It is all the worse, IMHO, for a tech journalist to jump on the bandwagon... but I suppose that is part of your job, to spread the news and get more people reading it. Whatever. Just so you know, those of us with a little history in computing _will_ snear/laugh/throw-up whenever someone refers to cloud-computing especially claiming it (as a whole or in part) is something new. Not one bit of it is new.
/rant

 

[Pyroflea]

Well considering Oracle is hellbent on ruining every open-source project that Sun started, I wouldn't listen much to what he had to say.

 

[Warsaw]

Cloud computing might have it's uses. But I believe that in the future we will still have a need for personal computing. Whether everyone as they do today will have a "PC" I'm unsure of, but it will be a hell of a ride to see what video cards will be out in just 5 years! Hologram tech anyone?

 

[madeux]

I'm a bit of a geek snob when it comes to things like this... Whenever the media picks up on an old tech and pretends it's new and revolutionary and gives it a new name, like cloud computing (or blogs! Honestly, how old is the concept of blogging!?!? But, hey, give it a new name and BAM!)it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. Anyone else feel this way?

 

[pasoleatis]

A kind of cloud computing is already used by researchers. We often use the computing servers.

 

[sublifer]

[citation][nom]madeux[/nom]I'm a bit of a geek snob when it comes to things like this... But, hey, give it a new name and BAM!)it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. Anyone else feel this way?[/citation]
Exactly. To the point where I feel like physically harming people sometimes.

 

[Onus]

Got to agree with sublifer. It seems as though getting to use the term "cloud computing" is allowing the ignorant to sound knowledgeable. It's just a way of packaging something for sale. That doesn't mean it is of no value, but it does mean it is going to have pros and cons just like any other implementation of a desired set of functions. Decision-makers need to be sure that fact hasn't been obscured by all the... water vapor... when they make their choices.

 

[Guest]

Cloud computing is blatantly some big brother sh-it. It's not all that great or useful even. It's already used for big-brother type spying at most corporate workplaces, re: roaming profiles, where the user's data is reviewed by the company auditors without the user's knowledge.

I'm suspicious of some of the current cloud backup services like Carbonite. They offer "unlimited" storage for $55 a year. They can't be making money off of that, that utility has to pretty much be a backdoor into your computer for intelligence agencies, who in turn, subsidize the (lack of) money made by only charging $55/year.

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

jsm6746's mention of the usage of the word 'cloud' just goes to show a problem with language in general. Instead of coming up with a new discrete word, one is always just assigned a new meaning. Even the word servers, you could be talking about computers or people. It's probably not something that can be fixed, but it has kinda bugged me every now and again.

 

[Ch33ky]

To me, cloud computing will put the corporate infrastructure world
on it's head. No longer will you
one need a team to setup, deploy, and

maintain software and servers. You can off load that
under a fraction of the
cost. Think of it as what Walmart did to mom and pop shops.
Have your current infrastructure team be the mom and pops, and

have googles, amazon's, and
microsofts be your walmarts. While your
mom and pop charge
more and
might have
more of your respect, but those walmarts have
made it so it is streamlined offer you prices that those
mom and pops will never beat. thats something to think about right
?

 

[rrobstur]

Thinking about cloud computing I picture the movie lawnmowerman2. Put on the interactive gear including the 3d glasses turn on your implants and connect via rj45 or maybe USB 3.0 ;-) and Jack yourself into the system.

Your terminal would house a streaming processor and the connection would the routed to your csp "cloud service provider" according to ur assigned ip adress you would either connected to one big fast CPU like IBM z198 or grouped in one of multiple CPUs your CPA has assinged you to according to your ip addr

 

[jossrik]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I like the idea of cloud computing, in general, I don't like the idea of farming out the processing power to corporations, but I do like the idea that my parents can have a cheap weak computer, and when they need the processing power, can get it from my nice gaming rig. Taking it a step further in the right direction, it'd be nice if the little processor in the microwave and MP3 players could lend a hand too. Maybe plug in your awesome smartphone and have a 7 year old computer handle full 1080p playback. Wishful thinking, I know. The professor said it best, "Technology isn't intrinsically good or evil, it's how it's used."

 

[mook33]

I think a lot of us write off cloud computing because we simply have a difficult time picturing is usages -- but that doesn't mean it won't work perfectly. My analogy would be when my childhood friend first tried to explain Wolfenstein 3D & the whole "First Person Shooter" concept to me:
"It's like you're HOLDING the gun..."
"You mean, like Contra?"
"No...like YOU are holding the gun..."
"Eh?"
"It pops out from the screen, like you were holding it..."
"Well that sounds plain stupid!"
While I simply couldn't comprehend the concept until I experienced it, we still all know how that genre has influenced & done...

Granted, there are plenty of hurdles for Cloud Computing to overcome, especially bandwidth caps/fees that would go on top of a "pay software service", etc -- but with major company backing, something might pan out that is fully workable.

 

[Humans think]

Read jsm6746's post (don't be lazy, it is good for you) too, and you really get the whole picture. Users' comments have covered most of my concerns.

The cloud computing they are envisioning is purely one-sided. I could run an application like SETI@home (730 TFLOPS) in my computer as a background service with low priority or on my PS3 and get paid for the MFLOPS x time I offered. This money could be used to cover my electric bills of the year, that would be real cloud computing with benefits for the user too. Same applies for storage and other things. Why build humongous supercomputers with tax-payers money when you can return money to them?

 

[pirateboy]

larry is just another douchebag with too much power

 

[dEAne]

It's like a virus it will never go away.

 

[kronos_cornelius]

I don't really see the difference between Grid Computing and Cloud computing. The only difference, is that one was a term created by academia, and the other is a Marketing term created by IBM. Other than that they are pretty similar.

The definition for both cloud and grid computing I would use is the development of software technology that allows a user to harness the power of networked computers without adding the complexity that those systems create. The so called non-functional requirements that are also mention in Autonomous computing, a term also created by IBM. In the cloud, a programmer is able to implement a solution with no concern for the environment. The environment scales to the need of the program based "performance contract". For the user, the application would look almost the same as programs used before, because all the technology would be under the hood.
Good examples of these technologies are MapReduce, a library to distribute work on a clusters, and the Google App Engine, an API that allows you to create website, but this API will also scale your webapp depending on the traffic.

So terms are being used for marketing purposes. But since the benefits are not obvious to the end user, what other way will you sell this and get profitable in this life time ?

 

[squidz66]

I can-not wait to pay endlessly (weekly) for yet another THING that I'll never own.
Friendly corporations.

"Keep it greasy"

 

[Travis Beane]

I love the idea of mass cloud computing.
Once we have 10gigabit up/down fibre with a 5ms latency to the server.

I wouldn't mind having nothing other than a dumb terminal in my house. A computer pumping out 500 watts, a xbox, a ps3, and three 23" monitors all pumping out heat (me and my roomies all at once), it gets pretty hot in here. Nothing but a wireless keyboard, mouse (latency on wireless still certainly needs work) and a 20 watt OLED monitor.
I willing to wait.
You?

 

[Stifle]

Anyone else creeped out by his mustache?

 

[Hilarion]

A grand rehash of very old (expensive) ideas. I don't want my data out there "on the cloud" where it isn't mine anymore.

I was very glad when PC's got up and running. They got rid of the limitations and vagaries of "thin clients" that were dependent on "big iron" nonsense. And the prices that went along with that.

It's all just spin.

 

[Matthias99]

"I don't want my data out there "on the cloud" where it isn't mine anymore...

It's all just spin."

The success of platforms like Valve's Steam game sales/distribution/update service would seem to suggest otherwise.

Depending on how you (vaguely) define "cloud" capabilities, moving data "into the cloud" doesn't necessarily mean losing control of it. e.g. instead of a pay service like Dropbox or Carbonite, you could run your own private NAS that is accessible across the 'net. If there were better standards for this sort of thing, you could even write programs that could seamlessly interface with a variety of online storage platforms. For example, some games on Steam can store your settings and saved progress on Valve's servers, so you can access them from anywhere. Conceptually, there is no reason this couldn't be stored on your *own* server, or a chunk of storage space that you are renting somewhere online but that doesn't belong to Valve. Similarly, heavy-lifting computing tasks (like rendering CG movies or big batch transcoding jobs) could be processed on your own server(s) or farmed out to a professional service.

Such "private cloud" services are attractive for companies or individuals that need to maintain tight control over data, or that want or need to maintain certain service levels for processing or storage security and don't trust third parties to provide them.

 

[eddieroolz]

Personally I'm not a fan of Cloud Computing. I'd love to have a copy of the program, files and even the OS itself, locally on my hard drive. If we have omnipresent WiFi across cities - such as one that a local city near me has - then Cloud Computing may be feasible. But the way things are right now, we'd lose the ability to use our computer as soon as we leave our home WiFi network.

 

[mgj1954]

Call it what you want, still client server computer, only on a massive scale, and has been around for at least 16 or so years. and I pity the poor fools who are going to try to ACTUALLY secure all these different "CLOUDS", you better be a genisus