The Infamous CloudBy,

Casey Riva

The Craze Of The CloudWhy is Cloud Computing becoming so popular?

People are always on the move, this drives to a demand for more portable access to files and software from anywhere.

Companies are drawn in by the look of cheaper costs, however Stallman warns against this.

There is a growing number of people exporting their files to cloud servers.

Dell even tried to make “Cloud Computing” a trademark, which they were denied.

Stallman’s Warnings When asked about the cloud

Stallman said, “It's stupidity. It's worse than stupidity: it's a marketing hype campaign”

“The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we've redefined cloud computing to include everything that we already do," he said. "The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women's fashion. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I have no idea what anyone is talking about. What is it? It's complete gibberish. It's insane. When is this idiocy going to stop?“

What does he Mean?Stallman is worried that with everyone moving

with the hype of the cloud, people are falling into a trap.

The marketing hype is leading people into a false sense of security, cheaper costs and flexibility.

"One reason you should not use web applications to do your computing is that you lose control," he said. “If you use a proprietary program or somebody else's web server, you're defenseless. You're putty in the hands of whoever developed that software.“

Cloud Concerns ~ PrivacyIs your information in the cloud on the

same legal terms as stuff in your data center?

The Court has ruled that the fact that YOU put the information out changes your protection to a lower level of expected privacy

How does this idea of a lesser level of personal protection effect your feelings about the cloud?

Cloud Concerns ~ ReliabilityAs Stallman said, “If you use a proprietary

program or somebody else's web server, you're defenseless.”

Many companies realized this this year while running Amazons Simple Storage Service, S3, when the sever went down for over 8hrs multiple times during the year.

“The S3 service is great but this just proves you can’t rely on it, this is a major issue especially since it’s been down for so long. Way to go Amazon.”

Others sharing Stallman’s views?Larry Ellison, Oracle’s Chief Executive, agrees

with Stallman in the fact that the word “Cloud Computing” is a marketing word in full force.

The two believe that the current crazy over clouds is “fashion driven” and over hyped.

Stallman states, “it's a marketing hype campaign, somebody is saying this is inevitable – and whenever you hear somebody saying that, it's very likely to be a set of businesses campaigning to make it true.”

OverallWith a all of these warnings Stallman has

given and the real world events that have been shown I can see why Stallman calls for concern.

How do you feel about the issue of privacy on the cloud?

Do you feel Stallman’s points are ones of valid concern?

What areas can you think of that the Cloud idea would help yourself?