Published at LXer:

The US government has gone full bore into the Cloud as a way to cut its massive IT costs long-term. What's holding you back?

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Errm, well you see I have thoughts and well that kinda fscks up my ability to just you know jump blindly into something that clearly is not a good idea, to me at least.

Come on. Sure, "cloud computing" may not be of interesting to you, but does that mean you have to quote something that isn't even human (a bot) and criticize it?

lol, couldn't have said it better myself.

No, actually, that's what the article says to, posted by a real human, Ron Miller.

Besides, the US Government has a looooooooooooooooooooooong track record of spending billions on failed IT projects. Maybe this is a big clue that the cloud is doomed?

Why do you say that? Seeing as though most of those "cloud" apps are hosted on Linux servers (and then there's Chrome OS, which is 100% Linux).

Chrome OS and the cloud are pretty the same, giving up your privacy and put your personal (and may be valuable) data to a server that belongs to someone you don't know. You have absolutely no control over your data and what is done with it.

Who with a sane mind would want such a thing? And only because it is run on Linux? Besides that you perfectly can run a cloud on Windows servers.

I don't care what the cloud is being run on, its just a bad idea, period. Just because something runs Linux doesn't mean its a good thing. It is putting your data in the hands of other people (who are not Linux powered by the way) which means if they get funny ideas, you have absolutely no way to stop them.

I'll keep my data on my computers thank you very much.

Seriously? All the online apps that run on Google's servers run on Linux. Why? Because all Google runs on their servers is Linux!

And even Chrome OS is Linux. So what is making you say this?

Google is evil, I hope it is destroyed as much as I hope M$ is.

Why?! They're avid Linux supporters.

I have to agree with some here. The whole cloud thing is a joke. It is only a matter of time before something major happens. I mean really. With the attack on Internet privacy as it is, with data getting lost or stolen all the time, with accounts getting hacked, with (at times) users who give away too much personal info online. There is only one way this is going to go.

The good news. Google is not using Linux in their name. If they where I would be worried about the cloud fad hurting Linux in the long run.

I imagine some governments (or some in governments,) love this cloud idea. I imagine that many corporations love the cloud idea. To have everyones info online, their data online, makes it that much easier for them to get.

Am I paranoid? Check out https://www.eff.org/ and http://www.freepress.net/ and see how things are going now. Then you tell me how Cloud computing will be used or controlled in the future. But also remember the other points I made above as well.

Only because they believe it will help their facade ... and apparently it does. Other than that their sole purpose and reason for existence is to collect info on people, and has very strong ties with powerful gubmint agencies. Let me guess, the gubmint has good intentions and will only use this info for good, right ? Yeah, that's what you're gonna tell me. And then I say that it is only part of the grand plan formulated by the Dark Lord himself.

So let me see, just because Google happens to use Linux, I'm supposed to trust them with all my data. Even though they're very up front about the fact that they reserve the right to mine the living bejesus out of it.

Are you honestly saying that as long as Linux is involved, evil is impossible? If Microsoft has a couple of Linux servers lying around, they are all of a sudden a fine, upstanding company? That it is OK for Congress to take away my rights with the Patriot Act and DMCA so long as they write those bills on a Linux box? That it is OK for the TSA to give me a good goosing because the metal detector runs Linux?

Not simply that Linux is involved, but that NOTHING BUT Linux is involved. If MicROMEsoft manages to install a few Linux servers (which is next to impossible), that will *not* make me want to use them, because they don't have NOTHING BUT Linux on them, some servers still have (win)Drows.