Cloud Computing: What's your stance?

Cloud computing. You practically hear it every 47 seconds these days. It's everywhere, it's nowhere.

I am wondering what you guys think about Cloud computing, not just gaming but also in general (read: daily tasks). Will it replace every PC at your home? Non at all? At the very least reduce? Do you think it's nice for mobile devices but won't replace desktops?

There are certain things I simply don't like about cloud computing:

[A] Provider-bound content. In my opinion any service should allow me to switch to another provider without any drawback. I can switch internet provider, power provider, etc without any drawback but I can't switch from OnLive to another provider unless I want to lose all my games.

Business model - For now all those web-applications are free, so my question is: How are they planning to make a profit? I'm not exactly interested in a website full of advertising. Monthly subscription fee? Not exactly desirable.

[C] Security. I think that I'll always need atleast one computer at home, simply because I won't want to put certain data in an environment that's much more suspectable to data breaches because of its centralised approach. It's simply bound to get hit numerous times by its very nature. I mean, you would to login to your account which means you and others will be suspectable to keyloggers and other ways of hacking an account. They're not exactly impenetrable fortresses, Sony being a recent example.

With that said I do like the concept of just a single desktop that can be accessed from anywhere on any device. I think that if there were a company that would design a "Personal Cloud Desktop" which would allow me to access it from anywhere and stream/transfer my desktop, pictures, audio, video, games and applications to any device I would cetainly favour that option.

How about you?

The concept of "cloud computing" is not a replacement to traditional operating systems by any means. Our future is the use of both.

I use both :)
Cloud is great for storage, but the extrmeely reliable stuff is often very expensive.

For applications, I tend to stick to myself.

I think I'll use it in places. Storing some things so that I can (in theory) access them anywhere, or in the case of OnLive, play games on a system that wouldn't normally let me.

But for information I really want to preserve I'll stick to my own HDDs or flash drives, even if it means backing it up to multiple drives.

I think cloud computing will be the single biggest mistake in IT innovation. I can already foresee massive breaches in security and leaked information. Not to mention big brother being easily able to spy without being caught.

I think cloud computing will be the single biggest mistake in IT innovation. I can already foresee massive breaches in security and leaked information. Not to mention big brother being easily able to spy without being caught.

Mystic-G

My company's premiere product is an enterprise cloud app. It's priced much higher than our other apps, but the TCO is much lower because it allows our customers to drastically reduce (or even eliminate) their IT staff.

Cloud computing is going to stay around and be very useful (particularly in the corporate marketplace). It will probably never eliminate standard operating systems and applications, though.mattbbpl

Hands on hips, with legs wide apart.

[QUOTE="mattbbpl"]My company's premiere product is an enterprise cloud app. It's priced much higher than our other apps, but the TCO is much lower because it allows our customers to drastically reduce (or even eliminate) their IT staff.

Cloud computing is going to stay around and be very useful (particularly in the corporate marketplace). It will probably never eliminate standard operating systems and applications, though.xaos

[QUOTE="mattbbpl"]My company's premiere product is an enterprise cloud app. It's priced much higher than our other apps, but the TCO is much lower because it allows our customers to drastically reduce (or even eliminate) their IT staff.

Cloud computing is going to stay around and be very useful (particularly in the corporate marketplace). It will probably never eliminate standard operating systems and applications, though.xaos

It will lead to doomsday, I think it will end up making users too vulnerable.

Sounds so comfy.KiIIyou

like your sig, at first I was all like ..."wtf"..... then i was like "oooooo coooooool"

It will lead to doomsday, I think it will end up making users too vulnerable.

Meat_Wad_Fan

I think cloud computing is going to be the way of the future for server based systems, such as Exchange, Anti-Virus, HR, and Finance applications. The bottom line is that is saves big time for companies because they don't have to buy and support extra hardware for these systems. For operating systems its going to be tough, because I can't see that being a viable option for a company. Although virtualization will plow the way for the end-user in the future, butI can't see a cloud based OS. Its nothing new or great, but the word seems catchy so that is why everyone uses it. It simply someone hosting a service for you instead of you hosting it for your users.

Objectively, it's a vastly more efficient way of doing things, but one gives up some control of their own property by using it. I like using it for some things but I prefer to store sensitive data and expensive software locally.

I had to use it to submit my class projects to the teachers, but then again, everything we used was either on something made by Apple(Final Cut Pro) or something that was on a Mac(Photoshop).

I don't like cloud computing at all, just doesn't seem secure. I don't know why but I just don't trust it.

How about the average people (read: techno-illiterate)? Do you think they'll embrace Cloud Computing simply because they're being told it's better?

How about the average people (read: techno-illiterate)? Do you think they'll embrace Cloud Computing simply because they're being told it's better?

CAPSROGUE

it's actually far easier for people like that to use (no updates, no viruses, no need to know anything about your computer, more hand-holding in general), the only problem is that people like that have gotten somewhat used to the old model.

Cloud computing is such a cliche'. I work a company that theoretically provides such a service. It's been around forever, it's just trendy right now. People need to stop getting all uppity about it. All it is is a concept. It would be like me coining the phrase "Metal Containing" and using it to try to sell lockers in a locker room.

A "Personal Cloud Desktop" I dont get. Fuhgeddabouditt

Simply a desktop computer, much like you have now, that you can access fromany other device allowing you to stream/transfer games/applications/content to your mobile devices. With the main difference with traditional cloud computing being you having complete control over it. So no "Cloud", just a desktop with cloud features.

I like looking after my stuff myself. Also upload speeds are way too slow.

Never heard of "cloud computing" until this thread. I have no clue what it is.

I don't think it will ever replace PCs at home. They will coexist.