Food for thought
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| garymax May 12, 2008 3:54 PM EDT |
All of this talk about cloud computing and Google apps makes for some serious fodder concerning the future for Linux users. If, as some industry pundits are saying, the days of the computer (as we know it) are numbered then that spells problems for Linux users of all stripes. No more compiling of kernels or choosing your own Linux distribution. No compiling of your own apps with your own configuration choices. It would be hard to learn system administration when you no longer have a system to administrate. It's all done for you by "the cloud." Not to mention the fact that you no longer control your computing experience; others do it for you--from the infrastructure down to the apps you use. Not that you couldn't choose the apps you use, but you would not have control over the version number or the way they are compiled. I believe that network or cloud computing makes sense in areas such as business where it can keep costs low using thin clients instead of fat ones. But if the industry players who support cloud computing have their way, they will be the conduit for computing of all kinds in the future and all of the cherished freedoms that come from running Linux on your own system (compiling the kernel, compiling apps, learning programming, and system administration, to name a few) will become a distant memory. Not to mention the fact that you will no longer control your data to the same extent as you do now. Are these freedoms something that Linux users are willing to give up? The irony is that most of the cloud computing infrastructure is being fitted out by open source software--the same software that currently gives us the freedoms that we now enjoy. |
| Sander_Marechal May 12, 2008 9:18 PM EDT |
Quoting:If, as some industry pundits are saying, the days of the computer (as we know it) are numbered then that spells problems for Linux users of all stripes. The pundits are wrong. For several reasons. First off, you still need a computer to access the cloud. Second, the internet is way, way behind on the curve in terms of what people need. We have only just reached the point where most users don't need the latest-and-greatest hardware to do everything they want. CPU speed, RAM and local storage have finally reached a point where it's usually enough. Not the internet. Even if you were to have a 1Gb/sec up/down link to the internet, your experience would still be crappy. Nobody is going to shift multitudes of gigabytes of data (like audio and video) from and to their computer over such slow lines. Third, you still need an internet connection to use the cloud. In the age where everything gets more mobile this means that increasingly you will *not* have an internet connection. Wireless internet is slow, spotty, expensive and limited. Until your entire country is covered by fast, cheap, flat-fee and unlimited internet access everywhere the cloud will simply be on a head-to-head collision with the mobile computing rage. And I think that mobile will win. Things like Google Gears can't change that. It's nothing more than a fancy caching mechanism to prevent 404 and connection errors showing up when using your AJAX-powered website. It won't work. When computing is the cloud then cache is yesterday's stale leftovers. I don't think Linux has much to fear from the cloud computing hype. |
| Steven_Rosenber May 14, 2008 7:23 PM EDT |
Yep, we'll need ubiquitous, super-fast broadband, and I don't see that happening any time soon. |
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