cloud

While cloud computing has been hailed by some as a revolution in information services, it somewhat ironically resembles one of oldest computing models in existence.

The idea is simple: instead of relying on a PC's internal processing and storage resources to perform application tasks, cloud computing allows the heavy lifting of computer applications to be handled by powerful dedicated servers over the internet. The combined processing and storage resources provided by these remote servers are collectively referred to as the cloud.

Cloud computing has been spurred on by the convergence of two key pieces of technology: faster and more ubiquitous internet access, and vast improvements in browser technology. Today, internet browsers are capable of rendering unprecedentedly rich user experiences, far beyond the simple HTML of old. These capabilities, combined with the evolution of increasingly rich web standards, have allowed modern web applications to provide levels of functionality previously only available to their desktop counterparts.

The key benefits? Personal information and complex processing tasks can now be abstracted from the constraints of physical location, operating system, and processing power. With cloud computing, users and their information are for the first time, truly liberated. Nowhere is that effect more evident than in the blogging and social media revolution, where cloud computing services play an increasingly key role in the process of information publishing.

by bravelittlememe Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “cloud”

• Montreal International Game Summit 2009

  
  The Quixotic Engineer — Authority:
  This week I attended the Montreal International Game Summit , a professional conference for game developers. Since that is not my profession (yet), I managed to get a free pass as a student volunteer. This was a compelling arrangement, even if it meant I didn’t always have my choice of presentations (I particularly ...
  5 hours ago

• Chrome OS - My 2 Cents into the Future

  
  Passion for Innovation — Authority: 112
  Last week Google gave their preview on Chrome OS and since many different opinions have been written. The opinions go from a complete failure to being already a winner and a look into the future . Im in the last category, but love to have it already today. Like many people today I use several devices to access ...
  7 hours ago

• Seagate FreeAgent Go – Review

  
  Gear Diary — Authority: 716
  More and more of our digital lives is left sitting on our computers. As a result we need a better way to access it. Seagate has that covered with a system that is not only simple to use but simple to set up as well. It consists of three parts. The first is Seagate’s FreeAgent Go portable hard drive. (You can use any ...
  8 hours ago

• Can IT overcome its credibility crisis?

  
  The Outsourcing Blog: Horses for Sources — Authority: 117
  Theres little doubt about whats been providing the rocket-fuel behind the rebounding services business: IT outsourcing. Simply put, there are plenty of eager providers to choose between, they have access to most of the technical skills companies need, and their rates are far cheaper than retaining or hiring staff ...
  8 hours ago

• 5 steps to secure your data center (Government Computer News)

  
  Adam Dicker | Domain Expert — Authority: 161
  With the advent of cloud computing, rich Internet applications, service-oriented architectures and virtualization, data center operations are becoming more dynamic, with fluid boundaries. Read the original here: 5 steps to secure your data center (Government Computer News)
  9 hours ago

• Google Chrome OS: I Want This NOW!

  
  NunoXEI — Authority: 115
  Am I the only one hungry for this and wanting it RIGHT NOW!?! I can’t be. Seriously, how many people out there just need a machine to take with them while on the move–to get email, use the numerous Google web apps like Docs, Calendar, Maps, Gmail, etc? This will be a PERFECT alternative. Fast, simple, less ...
  10 hours ago

• Q&A, Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com chief executive

  
  WebGuild — Authority: 511
  Q: How are you going to deal with the customer security concerns with cloud computing? A: Cloud computing is the future – if not then Google and Amazon are … More» More»
  11 hours ago

• Cloudy Government: How Innovative Countries are Making Use of Cloud Computing in Their Information Technology Strategies

  
  Scienceray — Authority: 549
  We have seen revolutionary computing technologies come about roughly once each decade in the “modern era” of computing since around 1945, when computing came to mean computations performed by a machine, not by man. From the mainframe era of the 1960s to the advent of minicomputers in the 1970s, the personal ...
  13 hours ago

• Want To Try Out Google Chrome OS For Yourself? Here’s How.

  
  Software Update — Authority: 92
  by Jason Kincaid The public debut of Google Chrome OS today has the press abuzz over the potential of the new web-based operating system. And now that it’s open sourced, you have the chance to try it out for yourself. Unfortunately, most people aren’t ready to undertake the daunting task of actually taking ...
  14 hours ago

• The Next generation of Acrobat.com is Here

  
  Adobe in eLearning and Tech Communication — Authority: 104
  Today (11/21/09) Adobe has launched a new and much improved version of Acrobat.com, our Online Office Suite , which includes the following online services:   ...
  15 hours ago

• Googles Chrome and Android operating systems will converge sooner rather than later

  
  Download Squad — Authority: 764
  Filed under: Internet , OS Updates , Google , Open Source Googles co-founder, Sergey Brin, spoke to some reporters yesterday, after the Chrome OS presentation . Citing the common WebKit and Linux code found in both operating systems, he said "Android and Chrome are likely to converge over time." "Were ...
  15 hours ago

• First Look at the New Google Operating System – Chrome OS

  
  Make Tech Easier — Authority: 530
  Back in July, Google made BIG waves in the tech industry by announcing the development of a Google operating system based on Linux. For years there’s been speculation about if/when Google would do this, and when the announcement hit, there was no shortage of people throwing in their two cents on how this new ...
  16 hours ago

• Can the Cloud Do No Evil?

  
  With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. — Authority: 110
  The Google Chromium OS is open sourced . In the world of Chromium OS, applications will be web apps. Access to the applications will be through the web browser. The web apps live in the cloud , i.e. in a bunch of servers somewhere in the Internet. In light of this, let’s talk about cloud computing . More ...
  16 hours ago

• Stamping up a wrap for Christmas

  
  Fiskars Craft — Authority: 435
  The stamp factory is great for stamping up patterned papers as well as wrapping paper for the Christmas holidays. I only still have black ink pad at the moment. So decided to put some coloured ink pads direct to paper...
  17 hours ago

• New Pogoplug multimedia sharing device via USB

  
  Desinformado.com — Authority: 143
  Cloud Engines unveiled the second generation of the award winning Pogoplug multimedia sharing device today giving consumers more flexibility to store personal content safely in the home and access, manage, and share it from anywhere on the Internet. The new Pogoplug hardware sports a new design boasting multiple USB ...
  18 hours ago

• Google Chrome OS: Everything You Need to Know

  
  WebGuild — Authority: 511
  Nearly all user data will be stored in the Google’s cloud computing service and will be encrypted and sychronized constantly between the netbook and the … More» More»
  18 hours ago

• Plans and Pricing - Urban Airship [del.icio.us]

  
  Expanding horizons — Authority: 135
  In-App purchases server framework and client library: $0.05 per download up to 25MB.
  19 hours ago

• Google announces cloud computing operating system will be completely open source

  
  WebGuild — Authority: 511
  Google’s release of an operating system based entirely around cloud computing could be the ultimate challenge to Microsoft’s dominance in the software field … More» More»
  22 hours ago

• New Pogoplug Makes NAS Easy & Looks Great!

  
  memoirs on a rainy day — Authority: 143
  The newly revamped Pogoplug looks really amazing, but that’s not all it does. It enables you to push some of your data into your own personal cloud computer, thanks to internet connectivity, and stream it to anyone in the world, while leaving your data on your hard drives at all times. Read More… Posted in ...
  23 hours ago

• Google and Its Desired Repositories

  
  Beyond Search — Authority: 577
  I find “desired repositories” quite enticing. I was going to call this write up “A Repository Named Desire” but I was fearful that some lawyer responsible for the Tennessee Williams’ play would object. Most of the Sergey-and-Larry-eat-pizza Google pundits follow the red herrings dragged by the Googlers ...
  1 day ago

Comments about cloud