cloud computing – real life parallel: cumulus
Parallels to real life clouds. First of an occasional – fun – series. And a flight through the world of cloud computing. Armed with a copy of The Cloudspotter’s Guide (great Christmas present, somewhat tamer than its distant relative Trainspotting ), I’ll be checking out some real clouds and finding a parallel universe (maybe)… First off, it’s the turn of cumulus. As a cloud, cumulus looks something like a collection of cotton wool balls dabbed onto a blue sky. A fine weather, ‘good times’ kind of cloud that’s firmly established in our minds as something which is pleasant to admire, with innocent intent. Insofar as altitude, it’s neither the lowest nor the highest cloud type, yet it can certainly grow pretty fast when the right conditions are set – not unlike cloud computing… In return, I pick a couple of SaaS examples of cloud technology, Hotmail or latterly, Gmail – both browser-based email apps with a fairly solid reputation. For those w...