Opinion: Woz Predicts a Horrendous Cloud, and I Agree

[maddad]

Oops, sorry posted to the wrong article!

 

[catswold]

WOW! Judging from the comments here, a whole lot more people agree with The Woz than with Wolfgang.

Clouds are for nature (and perhaps free e-mail servers). We are still an "ownership society." I think it is an aspect of being a human being . . . we like to own stuff. "Clouds" (collectives) are for suckers who don't like responsibility and freedom.

 

[mavikt]

Razer Synapse; that's cloud hysteria at its finest!

 

[gregaaron89]

I'm for cloud backup, but I want the original files on a physical hard drive/SSD

 

[razzb3d]

/quote It’s the teens, 20s and 30s that are deciding the future of the cloud. From what I can see, they are completely happy with what they get.

I'm 27 and think the cloud is a retarded ideea. I've been using a computer for 18 years, at first for old dos games, later for more. I will never trust the cloud. My files are my own.

 

[jjolla]

[citation][nom]cknobman[/nom]I dont "lease" cars.I dont "subscribe" to music.I wont put my sh!t on the cloud.If I cant own it I dont want it. Subscriptions have their place just like the cloud but they are not for everything. I will always demand ownership of some things.[/citation]

You don't lease cars -- but cars, like computers, toasters, washing machines, even beds .. are "consumables". A lot of engineering nowadays goes into designing products which will fail soon after warranty. This means that you are *effectively* leasing just about everything anyway.

When you make a decision to put your data our your disk at home ... think about what happens when your home is robbed, burns down, or is flooded out. What happens when malware gets inside from the internet? What about if you live in a country with an opporessive government who threatens to confiscate what you "own"?

The cloud may not be a 100% secure place to store your data, but neither is anything else.

 

[Guest]

Ownership has not disappeared from the 21st Century, its simply becoming far more exclusive and centralized than was ever possible. Subscription = renting use from a service or content OWNER.

 

[warezme]

I don't agree ANYONE young or old are happy or satisfied with not owning our stuff. I think it is a corporate world push by the same people that already own everything. They control the products and grease the legislation, create the marketing and push to sell their business model to create a system that people are tied to forever. We own your stuff so you have to keep paying us for it if you want access to it. I find this incredibly stupid especially in what technology affords us today. You can easily build your own storage farm to house any data your heart desires for relatively small cost. Just think of how much it used to cost to store just 1TB of info 20 or 30 years ago and compare that with today. I think if some people are to lazy or stupid to buy build and own their own system and storage solution they deserve to get taken. I have my own 8TB storage server, own my own apps, use pay as you go on a modified smart phone and I would NEVER lease an auto. A good car will last you 10yrs easily, so even if you opt for a 5 year finance, you have 5 years with 0$ payments.

 

[b00fhead]

Are there other legal issue regarding the cloud, does cloud stand for " could loan out ur data " ?, anyway so If I am a company in Australia and I have my data in a Microsoft or apple cloud that would be in America and the server its on has other peoples or companies data on it and lets say one of those people or companies gets in trouble too the point that there government/ Lawyers step in and says they need to freeze that asset (take the server for evidence) they now have all my data as well, or option two as before my data is in america and I get in trouble with the law and NEED my data for evidence but the lawyers now need to fight Americas lawyers to get my data and they wont release it because of the first issue so they don't want us to have our data or wont let US freeze the asset(take the server for evidence). How many businesses have you found that went to a cloud software option like for example Quick books in the cloud and are getting a benefit from it, I think the most benefit they get is a break from doing there accounting cause there net has gone down again, Our net in Aus and probably a lot of countries is FAR from being able to cope with such an idea and yet another issue, have you tried to come back from being in the quick books cloud ? inst that a little difficult? also the cost, starting at only $25 per month but then add extra for each and EVERY option you want, its cheaper to buy an upgrade each year and stick it on the pc I need to access it on-line in my business anyway. I agree with the OP and almost every comment written here I just hope more people read some of these comments and take some of it in.
NO the NBN is not going to make this cloud thing work, it will be better than what we have now but not to the point that I would trust my clients data out there. Local cloud all good but be careful what you put on that too and as for not being forced into it, what's the next few versions of server looking like admins? and as for hardware costs locally get a nas storage for a couple of hundred or look into a synology type product and you almost have a server. most people can afford that kind of tech if they cant then buy a flash drive for $20

 

[d_kuhn]

I think there's a lot of "unrealistic exuberance" surrounding net based computing and data services, leading to a lot of mis-application of the concept. It will all settle down and eventually the things that 'the cloud' can do well will filter to the top of the pile of crappy ideas. Even 'Corporate Cloud' computing has it's limitations, I've seen them first hand as slow wan speeds bring 'cloud stored' user files and settings updates to a crawl and make machines virtually unusable.

The way I see it... trusting a long, often unreliable and slow pipe between you and your source of water is not smart if you can carry a gallon of water with you.

 

[photonboy]

Funny thing:

I've got NETFLIX now and have been watching TV shows that I bought the entire set of, such as Farscape. These discs are sitting just 8 feet away but I watch Netflix for two reasons:

1. the video quality is slightly (only slightly) better than my DVD collection
2. Netflix remembers where I am (though that's problematic with multiple users)

 

[shriganesh]

Yeah, right...! They are completely happy with it as longs the ugly face of problems associated with the cloud starts to show it's face! I consider myself very technology progressive (that doesn't mean I will go and try out every OS platform out there) but I too feel the same about owning. But technically you don't own the things that you don't create. For example, I am happy with a paid password manager in windows or android or windows mobile or iOS as long it fulfills some basic features. Even though I paid for my password manger, the data that I technically own is the password database created by these software.

 

[twelch82]

I don't really think that everything will go to the cloud. The solutions that are ultimately adopted are the ones that are most efficient. Just because you can potentially move everything to the cloud, doesn't mean that you will if it doesn't make sense to do so.

I actually see a much bigger potential for "local" clouds. Like having one at home, or one at work, and implemented in a way where it can only benefit you, not hurt you.

For example, a terminal connected to a local cloud at work makes sense, because if the power goes out to the server, that's not really any more of a risk than your computer itself going down. But if you have a mobile device, that needs to maintain local computing power and storage because it's likely that you will sometimes go places with it where you are expected to lose connectivity.

 

[b00fhead]

Just had floods in the area and net and mobile phones EVERYTHING was out for 2 days ... those with quick books in the cloud were rendered useless... THANKS CLOUD COMPUTING ... what a stupid idea for a business ... have your own cloud sure but to have data out of your local area, your insane...I cant put it any easier than that.

 

[C12Friedman]

My take here, put your info into the cloud that you don't mind sharing - even with the best security features, it's not secure.

 

[Gulli]

I'm in my mid-20s but I don't trust the cloud, sure it's great for backing up low-security material but I would always keep a physical copy myself and I do worry what would happen if a cloud service was hacked or about them shutting down due to technical difficulties or bankruptcy. It's like those games that you can't play the multiplayer of anymore because the developer axed the servers and didn't release a toolkit for dedicated servers. Having the cloud is fine, you (as a person or as a society) just don't want to ever cross that point of no return where you have become so dependent on the cloud that you're completely f*cked when something goes wrong with it.

 

[Gulli]

[citation][nom]kronos_cornelius[/nom]This reminds me of the argument back in the 90's about the mouse replacing the keyboard. Now this fantasy was just before I started to get into computers, but the lesson is the same. The Cloud won't make hard drives go away. If you don't want stuff in the cloud, don't put it there. If you use Amazon for your music, you can download the mp3 of the music you own and store it in a format that is sure to play decades from now (unless some other iDRM service). The cloud is an option, not something that will be forced on consumers.I own my car because I am not dumb enough to work to make some other guy rich. However, I do pay for an Internet subscription because it makes economic sense. In other words, the Cloud is an option just like leasing versus owning, you choose. The only people threaten by the Cloud are the cows among us that adopt technology simply because every body else is doing it.[/citation]

It may not always remain a personal choice: if the fad catches on you will receive an ever higher penalty in daily life for not going along with it (for example if the standard becomes that businesses increase their profit through massive cloud based databases, or call of duty 23 will only be offered via the cloud or games and other programs will be stored in the cloud so often that developers only make programs that barely fit on your hard drive anymore, forcing you to use the cloud), you won't even be laughing when the sh*t hits the fan because so many people around you will get into trouble that you'll feel the effects too. It's kinda like choosing to not take doping when everyone else in the race is taking it: if you need to win a race once in a while to survive then choosing not to take doping is the same as choosing to starve, so not really a choice at all.

 

[Duckhunt]

I think the cloud has its uses. As usual the spinmeisters like to exaggerate its use. How can you trust these big organizations and businesses like that.

The history of the world is littered with abuse and neglect. Now we just erase history and believe these guys are going to be any different?

 

[Duckhunt]

I also like to add i think the cloud thingy is more to boost the company stock in the eyes of investors then any substance. These CEOs and upper managment folk are not only disconnected from the rest of us. They just want to write something in the company websites and reports.

 

[soundping]

Privacy and ownership is an illusion now.

 

[Aegean BM]

Clouds simplify my life. I like NetFlix for DVDs and online viewing. I much prefer Steam over my Physical CDs. I like iTunes for music and Amazjon for books. However, unlike NetFlix where I am a subscriber, Steam, iTunes, Amazon give me ownership in the cloud. They are fantastic, and I am happy now. But I am skeptical about the vendor lock in. What if i want my book on the latest non-Kindle, or my music on a non Apple device? What if the vendor hits financial difficulty? Will they eventually charge for those "free" downloads for content I own? If the company goes bankrupt, might I lose all the content? Accidents happen. When the cloud goes down, did the minimum wage cloud employee really backup properly? Do I have recourse when my identity is stolen and modifications happen to my cloud?

Understand that I trust the technical basis, and I enjoy the user experience. I am afraid of the vulnerability of the cloud because it is business centric. Conversely, no one is afraid of losing the Internet from any one business failing. I will trust the cloud when it becomes THE Cloud in the same way as THE Internet. Right now I have an Apple cloud, a Steam cloud, an Amazon cloud, etc.

 

[Derek Faldik]

If we actually got some symmetrical internet speeds to our houses, we could possibly create our own "Personal Clouds" However my Verizon LTE upload speed is > 5x faster than my $70/mon Cable internet.

 

[omen1314]

It will be a bit like leaving your house with the windows and doors unlocked at least for the first 10 years or perhaps more???

Nothing so scary as putting your valuables in the charge of someone you dont really know or have ever even met!!!

 

[superkrypton]

Just depends, if your company runs off the cloud suddenly you have no access to the cloud, that company is royal screwed. Now if its data same thing. trust the cloud to an extent but always have a back up plan.

 

[woodscrews]

im 19, and i have to say i find the entire idea of relying so heavily on web services to be utterly retarded in many ways