Demystifying the cloud
Is it just me, or have you also noticed that there seems to be a new place called "the cloud"? Microsoft Corp. has people going there in its commercials. News stories featuring new computers or software talk about "cloud computing." I think it's a ploy to confuse everyone.
Wake up, folks, "the cloud" has been with us as for a long time. It's called "the Internet." If you have a Web-based e-mail address with Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail or AOL, you're using the cloud. If you use Facebook, you're using the cloud. Same goes for MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, Kodak Galleries, Mobile Me or any service you access through a Web browser.
Here's a simple definition of "cloud computing" from Wikipedia:
Computing in which services and storage are provided over the Internet (or "cloud")
Why the marketing switch? You got me. I guess some people believe it's easier to tell other people, “go to the cloud" instead of “go to the Internet.” It also leaves the impression that someone is the gatekeeper of the cloud. You have a friend in Microsoft, because the company tells you to go to the cloud, where you'll find (surprise!) Microsoft software.
So use the cloud with confidence. You've been doing it for a long time.
