When did you first hear or see the term "cloud computing"?  I’m usually the last to know anything, it seems, so I’ve only recently started noticing this term on the Internet.  I did some research, and some say it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread—but others think it isn’t such a hot idea.  In very simple terms, cloud computing is this:  rather than having programs and files on your computer, you would store files online and also access applications (programs) online (think Google Docs or MS Office Live; think Flickr or Buzzword).  Your computer really wouldn’t need to have much on it, and you’d have to have an Internet connection in order to run applications or access your files.  Not only individuals, but also companies would be doing this (and in fact, are doing it now).  One of the major benefits is that a company (or an individual, for that matter) has the use of combined server resources they might not otherwise be able to afford "in house."

The ever-vigilant Richard Stallman warns against the use of cloud computing:  "Somebody is saying this is inevitable—and whenever you hear somebody saying that, it's very likely to be a set of businesses campaigning to make it true… One reason you should not use web applications to do your computing is that you lose control," he said. "It's just as bad as using a proprietary program.  Do your own computing on your own computer with your copy of a freedom-respecting program.  If you use a proprietary program or somebody else's web server, you're defenseless.  You're putty in the hands of whoever developed that software."  Food for thought. 

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