Cloud Computing Is Retarded: Or, The Pendulum Swings Back

Yar

If the goal is to blur the lines between client and server, then most of what is currently being pursued as cloud computing is a most necessary step in that direction. I think OP mistakenly believes that we'll all just toss out everything we've learned in the past 30 years.

As long as the tubes are as fast and reliable as a PCI bus, then I am cool with my cycles and my magnetic data existing in a quantum state of "I couldn't tell you exactly where they are, but they are doing what they do." All I care about is the interface.

KevinNash

Yar wrote: »

If the goal is to blur the lines between client and server, then most of what is currently being pursued as cloud computing is a most necessary step in that direction. I think OP mistakenly believes that we'll all just toss out everything we've learned in the past 30 years.

As long as the tubes are as fast and reliable as a PCI bus, then I am cool with my cycles and my magnetic data existing in a quantum state of "I couldn't tell you exactly where they are, but they are doing what they do." All I care about is the interface.

Larry Ellison originally envisioned the home user really only using a terminal to access data stored off-site (his site for a fee of course). A guy named Bill Gates correctly gambled that people were more interested in actual physical ownership of their hardware and beat him in the marketplace.

Ellison was simply ahead of his time. The home PC was simple back then and data sizes were small. As data becomes larger and the computers more complex and scalable the need for off-site storage and even processing power is both desirable and practical.

So no it's not retarded since it's just another option. I think the idea of off-site digital lockers is smart, even if just for backups. I also like the idea of uploading stuff at home and retrieving it somewhere else.