As most of my readers have probably realized, more and more of our daily computer experience has been moving onto the Internet. An application which runs on the Internet (in your web browser) is commonly referred to as a “cloud application”.
Some people dispute this term. Some say that cloud computing isn’t really anything new; that all it is is a new term assigned to an old concept.
Larry Ellison, of Oracle, recently said:
“The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we’ve redefined cloud computing to include everything that we already do. I can’t think of anything that isn’t cloud computing with all of these announcements. 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?
“We’ll make cloud computing announcements. I’m not going to fight this thing. But I don’t understand what we would do differently in the light of cloud.”
He has a point, of course. The term “cloud computing” is kind of like the term “Web 2.0”. It communicates different things to different people, but at the end of the day it is just a marketing term that everybody thinks they have to get onboard or they’re going to miss out on the next big thing.
Nonetheless, we use the word “cloud app” to simply mean an Internet-based application. Like Gmail, HotMail, Google Docs, SalesForce, etc.
With that in mind, which ones do you use?
Personally, I use the following sites which I would consider to be a cloud app:
- Google Gmail
- Google Docs
- Google Reader
- Aweber (my mailing list management system)
- SurveyMonkey (my survey system for this website)
- Google Calendar
I also regularly use online banking, my various social media profiles, etc.
But, what about you? Which internet-based applications do you use? Have you replaced any of your old desktop apps with an online version? Post a comment.
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Salesforce
Gmail
Google Docs
Google Reader
All of them are top-notch.
None of the Google apps, I never got why people are so psyched about them anyway…
Well, some of those that I do use:
MobileMe
Remember the Milk (does that qualify?)
Yahoo Mail (just occasionally)
Trying out LiveMesh, don’t really like it much yet…
Also, it’s a bit difficult to distinguish a ‘cloud app’ from a ‘web based service’s sometimes, isn’t it…?!
Like you I use Gmail and Google reader. I use One Note, Yoono, various social-networking including Twitter, Friend Feed, Facebook etc. Of course my WordPress blog is in the cloud on my rented server too. I use Hotmail and my cloud-based email account from my ISP – Although I have both Gmail and BT email collected by Outlook Express. (Yes I know it’s an old App but it works for me; so I’m sticking to it while I continue to run XP.)
That gives you some idea that I’m moving over to cloud-based computing to a certain extent. But there are things which I’m not currently going to leave behind and move away from:-
I’m thinking particularly of Microsoft Office 2007; which is the de-facto standard for business, cost me a small fortune, and which despite their best efforts anything cloud-based such a Open Office have been unable to beat or even copy successfully.
Perhaps Larry Ellison might like to start his own computer-industry fashion magazine; though models might have some difficulty wearing a quad-SLI graphics setup and the like.
I think that’s it. Cloud computing is new term for something that has been going on for years.
I use Gmail, Google Reader, occasionally Google Docs, sometimes Adobe Buzzword, and of course Facebook, Twitter, and the like.
The only ‘cloud app’ that’s replaced my desktop version is Gmail, though. The other sites (Docs, Buzzword) I just use to for backups of my documents, and so I can edit them from other computers.
Google’s Gmail
Google Calender
Google Docs
Skype
I don’t think Skype can really be considered a cloud app – it’s just a internet-connected desktop IM application, like Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, etc.
I believe Eli is correct in putting it into the category of
“cloud computing”.
Wikipedia’s definition:
“Cloud computing is a general concept that incorporates **software as a service** (SaaS), Web 2.0 and other recent, well-known technology trends, in which the common theme is **reliance on the Internet** for satisfying the computing needs of the users.”
Straight from David’s post:
“Nonetheless, we use the word “cloud app” to simply mean an **Internet-based application**. Like Gmail, HotMail, Google Docs, SalesForce, etc.”
Skype is an Internet based application so it should be put into the same category of “cloud computing/apps”.
meebo is the best multi platform messenger replacement that i’ve used in the cloud, it replaced my desktop app Trillian.
otherwise I agree david, so much ado about nothing.
Absolutely agree David. What alot of Hype. I’ve been using pageflakes.com for ages now. Don’t need the old desktop apps anymore really. But cloud computing is a trend away from user based decision about what apps they use to IT providers approaching large businesses to takeover their services ie ‘exchange server’ and convert to using their internet-based services.