[arachne] Re: What is "cloud computing" ???
- From: "Sam Ewalt" <ewalt@xxxxxxxx>
- To: arachne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:11:07 -0500 (EST)
Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!
On Thu, December 11, 2008 9:35 pm, L.D. Best wrote:
> Here's a teaser: Can 'low end' computers take advantage of "the cloud" ??
>
In the near future "low end" will be very advanced by today's
standards.
"The cloud" is a massive, expandable network of servers and
powerful computers that you can access as needed. There is no
need for massive computing power on your desktop if you can
access that power whenever and wherever you need it.
Think dumb terminal and multi-user system with the applications
and data being stored and worked with remotely. The terminal
doesn't have to be all that powerful, just capable of displaying
the interface to the resources that reside elsewhere. The "elsewhere"
is expandable and gathers resources as needed.
"The cloud" is an evolving idea. Early and perhaps primitive examples
would be things like Gmail and the Google applications. Who needs a
word processor on your own computer as long as you can access one?
You don't have to take it with you, it's already there. Many people
from many locations can all access and work on the same documents.
You can travel around the campus and around the world and still have
all your files and documents. You don't even know where your stuff
is physically. It no longer matters.
Keep extending this idea. Why does an enterprise need its own
servers as long as service is available?
Services don't need to reside in a location. They just need to
exist and be locatable. They can float through the cloud like
ideas float through our brains.
Sam Ewalt
Arachne at FreeLists
-- Arachne, The Premier GPL Web Browser/Suite for DOS --
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