Talk:Cloud computing

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[edit] Introductory sub section

This section is a rambling monologue. Specifically the last line is meaningless.

Common visualizations of a cloud computing approach include, but should not be considered to be limited by, the following:


I request someone to dele this line .

Sanjiv swarup (talk) 09:51, 14 June 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Vague and confusing

This article can be written better than it is now.Chmyr (talk) 02:13, 12 April 2008 (UTC

Agreed, this article reads like some boring, nasal nerd who's trying to impress you with jargon instead of getting actual points across. I think many readers are going to walk away from this article still having no clue whatsoever what the general term of "cloud computing" is referring to. Once we cut through the hype, jargon and nerdgos... maybe we can actually have people leave this article with some understanding of it? Is that too much to ask? LOL
When it comes down to it, it's a fairly simply concept (not the implementation and all the derivatives, but the CONCEPT itself). Typically, it's using the power of multiple computers across the internet to work in unison (or you could say in harmony) to accomplish tasks that require a lot of processing power and storage that would otherwise overwhelm the capabilities of an average computer working alone. There, I said it. LOL Cowicide (talk) 00:34, 12 May 2008 (UTC)
I believe the article can be more simpler than what it is. The concept of Cloud computing loses it track at the bottom...

Dhoomady (talk) 11:01, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with Chmyr and Cowicide This article needs some attention to meet wikipedia standards. Kalivd (talk) 14:14, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Argh

Argh I cant believe people are using this term!—Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.28.155.207 (talk • contribs)

It seems that this is the last Marketing fad (and Marketing does creates new words especially in the computing world), and as WP is just the image of the real world, I believe we should use this terme too. This not a problem in my opinion, as if the concept settles on an other term we'll just have to do a renaming (a Redirect). This is how WP works --Kompere (talk) 14:53, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Etymology

I assume there is some metaphor behind the use of the word "cloud" for "cloud computing" - does anyone know it? -- 13:52, 9 October 2007 (UTC) I believe the "cloud" refers to the abstract concept of the web or internet. It's used to indicate that you don't really care about the details, about who or what is out there in the cloud, it's just the cloud, the rest of the internet.--Bill.albing 15:59, 9 October 2007 (UTC) I believe that cloud refers to the fact that most tech architects use a drawing of a cloud when discussing the Internet or services available over IP. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.188.145.142 (talk) 01:16, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Surely they draw it as a cloud because of the metaphor, it's not called a cloud simply because it just happens to be drawn as one. User:Jamie Kitson —Preceding comment was added at 08:49, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

See http://www.mercurynews.com/businessheadlines/ci_7124839 Westwind273 17:41, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Similar Meanings

There are getting to be so many terms in this area that have similar meanings. I think it would be nice if there could be an article or something within Wikipedia that would straighten all this out, like a comparison chart. Terms I'm thinking of are cloud computing, grid computing, ASP, thin client, RIA, distributed computing, cluster computing, and time-share (from the 60's). For example, what is the difference between cloud computing and ASP? They seem remarkably similar. Also, I get the feeling there is some difference between Cloud Computing as described in this article, and Cloud Computing as described by Google and IBM in their initiative announcement. See http://www.mercurynews.com/businessheadlines/ci_7124839 and http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/138195/google_ibm_promote_cloud_computing.html and http://www.itjungle.com/bns/bns100807-story02.html Westwind273 18:17, 9 October 2007 (UTC)


Agreed .

There could be a redirect from articles ( cloud computing, grid computing, ASP, thin client, RIA, distributed computing, cluster computing, and time-share ) to ONE article called xzzee (suggestons welcome) Sanjiv swarup (talk) 09:15, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

Disagreed.

Distributed Computing is the general problem of having more than one box talk to each other. Clustering is something you do on a single site; what this 'cloud computing' story says is that you dont have your own cluster; you have a storage somewhere, CPU elsewhere. Now, Grid Computing and Cloud computing are similarish; though by virtue of superior vagueness, Cloud Computing is a superset of Grid Computing. Grid Computing has taken on specific meanings, often specific architectural meanings (OGSI/GGF grid architectures) which don't hold for Cloud Computing. Which is probalby why press/marketing like the term. I have a presentation on the topic [[1]], which looks at some of the differences. SteveLoughran (talk) 11:48, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

Further...

Grid computing refers to a method for establishing your computing resources. Grid is not necessarily defined to cloud. Someone can build their own grid computer and not make the resource available over IP. Cloud refers to accessing computing resources, whether they are grid or not, over the Internet. Don't overcomplicate it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.188.145.142 (talk) 01:22, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

The New York Times has an article talking about the confusion http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E180025742400363509.html?ref=technology --Westwind273 (talk) 22:55, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

Having talked to a number of people in industry and academia, the consensus was that cloud computing was congruent to a subclass of grid computing (indeed, it's probably the most interesting subclass where the resources are not bound to a single organization). Thus, in many ways it is possible to view cloud computing as a rebranding of grid computing to sell it to a new group of people without some of the built-up baggage of stuff that people hated about the way grids had become. As it is, in my view the whole term-space is still very new and could do with shaking out for another few years before a truly encyclopædic article on the area can be written. Donal Fellows (talk) 15:43, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
That makes sense. Grid had got bogged down in implementation details, with a lot of focus on standardisation of WS-* based APIs for talking to stuff. Cloud Computing steps back from the details by ignoring them and avoiding the standardisation process. However, I'm not sure about 'subclass'. If you use google mail to keep your inbox, you've moved from a LAN-hosted mail server to the cloud; Now certainly in a utility computing world you could host your stuff 'on a grid', but the main focus for grid work since about 2001 onwards has been batch data processing and computation, with a focus on scientific/engineering apps rather than interactivity. It's Grid Computing that has painted itself into a corner. SteveLoughran (talk) 12:12, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Abstracted layering

The cloud mentality is in fact the idea that what's on the backend of the user interaction is a no-care. With the escalation in virtualization, this methodology becomes more prevelant across all layers of computer environments and user interfaces. A quick example would be that if a user required a database driven backend, it should not matter what operating system the database is actually deployed on as long as it is supported on that OS. One could even argue it shouldn't matter what database manager is installed for the same reasons, as long as dependency chains are met.

Further then that, not only the what of the install, but now, the where of the install becomes a "clouded" entity. Centralized computer farms could be established as shared resource pools, and as long as performance criteria are met, the users environment could now be deployed at a selection of physical locations.

Cloud computing is a suitible. name —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.67.121.215 (talk) 00:20, 1 February 2008 (UTC)


--Esolution (talk) 14:05, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Cloud services

The mention of Amazon here seems to be advertising. There are at least a thousand other such Vendors. The author of this para should simply insert a DMOZ link here for a lit of such vendors.

Disagree - I do not believer there are thousands of computing clouds available at this time. See "Google and the Wisdom of Clouds" from BusinessWeek: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_52/b4064048925836.htm

Disagree as well, Amazon is one of the archetypes in cloud computing as well as a very early leader. Amazon is regarded as one of the companies (along with Google) to illustrate and execute cloud computing's potential.

[edit] Cloud services vs. 'cloud computing'

I want to suggest that 'cloud services' are the proper term and 'cloud computing' just creates confusion as it's jargon-based. Cloud services are akin to web services, but outside the firewall. One poster asked about the difference between ASP and Cloud computing, mentioning that they seemed similar. They aren't. The ASP model is one of a complete application run in a hosted manner. Cloud services are discrete point services (storage, compute, payment processing, etc.). You put together a number of cloud services to build a complete application. This is EXACTLY the same as Web services. The major differences lie in the fact that 'web service' was mostly something produced and consumed behind the corporate firewall. Cloud services differ by being out in the cloud, providing access to everyone for that web service, and using some kind of innovative charge model (usually the 'utility' model) where anyone can afford it, even for a short period of time. I tried to outline this more here: http://neotactics.com/blog/technology/short-sighted-about-cloud-computing

My main thrust being that 'cloud service' == 'web service' might help clarify the discussion. 'Cloud computing' doesn't really relate to anything.

And yes, 'web service' is a terrible term, but it's somewhat established at this point.  :D

[edit] WTF?

The first sentence of the article conveys no meaning or significance or reason. What?--Shtove (talk) 21:54, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Technical jargons

This is all very confusing. I think we need to have a clear difference b/w Cloud computing, grid computing, clustering, multi-tenant, software as a service etc... Some times these terms are self contradictory.?--Mailtoram —Preceding comment was added at 09:28, 3 March 2008 (UTC)


[edit] SETI@home/Folding@home/etc.?

After reading through this article, I feel more confused than before regarding Cloud Computing. Since "Cloud" measn the general internet, so does distributed computing projects like SETI@home and Folding@home belong to the concept of Cloud Computing? As I understand from the article, they are basically raw computing power coming from the cloud to solve a problem, so are they cloud computing or not? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ufopedia (talk • contribs) 08:44, 10 June 2008 (UTC)