Comments on: Which Cloud Apps Do You Use (If Any)?

By: lisa

lisa — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:10:52 +0000

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.

By: nick

nick — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:02:34 +0000

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.

By: 4sysops - Tweets: How to pronounce Azure - Private Clouds - Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:52:36 +0000

[...] Larry Ellison about cloud computing: “Maybe I’m an idiot, but I have no idea what anyone is talking about.” I think I am an idiot, too. [...]

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:08:27 +0000

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”.

By: Vertimyst

Vertimyst — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:49:34 +0000

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.

By: eli

eli — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:10:22 +0000

Google’s Gmail
Google Calender
Google Docs
Skype

By: Vertimyst

Vertimyst — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:26:48 +0000

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.

By: David M

David M — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:07:28 +0000

I think that’s it. Cloud computing is new term for something that has been going on for years.

By: Sharron Field

Sharron Field — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:30:35 +0000

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.

By: MILE

MILE — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:22:08 +0000

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…?!