Not even five years ago, a majority of the applications and programs I was using on my computer were run from and stored on its internal hard drive. Programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Kodak Easyshare for picture management and even email clients like Microsoft Outlook were all staples of my computing experience. Each one of these programs was purchased and came with a key allowing it to only be operated on only one computer, in one location. Luckily, today things operate a bit differently. Now when I want to write a paper or create a spreadsheet I get on Google Docs to do it. When I want to manage or upload my photos I log on to Flickr and there they are. If I need to develop a presentation I pull up Sliderocket from anyplace I can find that has an Internet connection and I’m in business. This wonderfully efficient, new way of doing things free from the cumbersome restraints of the notion that location is relevant is made possible entirely by the power of cloud computing. Cloud computing is a technology that is changing the way the world works by using the Internet as a platform for the operation of applications, as well as a place for the storage of information. Rather than purchasing, installing and owning applications that live in your own personal space, companies now provide the services these programs perform but they live in the cloud, or the server instead. This allows you to not only access the services anywhere you want but also provides security for your content because it’s backed up on the server.
When I ran into some trouble getting any feedback from my interviews, I revisited a site I have previously posted on to get the information I needed. The site is IdeasProject.com and it brings together some of the most influential and creative minds in the world on communication technology through a host of different media such as video clips, links, podcasts, presentations and articles. The following two interviews are from the Ideas Project site with Ron Conway, Special Partner at Baseline Ventures and Carl Hewitt, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. Here they are:
Carl Hewitt on location independent computing
I think one of the most striking points made in either of the interviews was Conway’s statement that it doesn’t matter what kind of computer you have, you can have all the computing power in the world as long as you’ve got a browser. By running everything from the cloud, it just creates so much more freedom with how you are able to interact with your applications. Also, as he mentioned in one of his responses, you really have to look at the impact this technology will have internationally to truly and fully comprehend the totality of its affect. By giving poverty stricken, developing countries the technology to connect themselves with the rest of the world, we can give them the ability to immensely and rapidly improve their infrastructure, healthcare, government and economies. Though, the notion of cloud computing is by itself, extremely interesting, the fact that it could finally actually connect the entire world as we know it falls under the category of astounding.
Filed under: Social Networks, Technology, cloud computing, Flickr, Ideas Project, Sliderocket, social media, social networking
