A couple of news articles hyping cloud computing caught my attention today. As always, it involves large corporations trying to convince the masses, (those presently utilizing shared or dedicated hosting environments) that who better than “them” for storing and distributing information in the new millenium ...

Cloud computing is that confusing buzz word utilized inappropriately to describe things like Grid, Utilities, or Autonomic computing. Conversely, Peer to Peer networks and Skype utilities would articulate examples of successful cloud computing environments. There are also a number of initiatives in the good old days where one could allow their computer to be utilized as part of a network during slow times to help the environment (maybe then... but not now!)

Cloud computing as presently envisioned by global capitalists should never replace shared or dedicated web hosting providers. Remember the Ma-Bell days of one size and price fits all, along with all the great service that a monopoly ensured . Need I say more...

Ever had your data hijacked by a hosting provider? Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, believes that cloud computing endangers liberties because users sacrifice their privacy and personal data to a third party. He has stated, that cloud computing is "simply a trap aimed at forcing more people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that would cost them more and more over time.

Others have compared cloud computing to centralized systems of the 1950s and 60s, by which users connected through "dumb" terminals to mainframe computers. Typically, users have no freedom to install new applications and needed approval from administrators to achieve certain tasks. Overall, it limited both freedom and creativity.

Cloud computing has been criticized for limiting the freedom of users and making them dependent on the cloud computing provider, and some critics have alleged that it is only possible to use applications or services that the provider is willing to offer. Tools such as web analytics may not be able to capture the data required for business planning.

While all of the aforementioned criticisms could present itself in any hosting environment, the flexibility hosted clients have enjoyed in the ability to research, and switch to a new host, along with the competitive advantages enjoyed when choosing from a larger pool would be lost in a cloud dominated environment.

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