Comments on: Beware of cloud freebies http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/ Education and Technology Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:29:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dark clouds | openedweb.com http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/comment-page-1/#comment-3447 Dark clouds | openedweb.com Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:50:07 +0000 http://openedweb.com/blog/?p=1056#comment-3447 [...] gets back to the point of one of my earlier blog posts on cloud solutions. You cannot rely upon them with your content as has been clearly demonstrated by recent [...] [...] gets back to the point of one of my earlier blog posts on cloud solutions. You cannot rely upon them with your content as has been clearly demonstrated by recent [...]

]]> By: John Calvert http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/comment-page-1/#comment-3328 John Calvert Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:28:28 +0000 http://openedweb.com/blog/?p=1056#comment-3328 All very true, Steve. It is a dilemma and I see your point. Google Notebook closing was an unfortunate thing. Of course, they didn't terminate Notebook, they closed it to new users, which is very different. If you use Notebook you can continue to do so. As for trusting the cloud to your data, I think Google Gears answers that. All of my data is backed up locally. I can work on a document whether or not I am on the internet. If Google Docs were to blow up, I could export my documents to another format. All this said, our district also installs open office. Between the two services, we have a robust and collaborative set of tools. All business is driven by the bottom line. So is education, unfortunately, as we are about to discover in the upcoming budget year (I am not saying it should be.) Google has been very generous to education. Of all the companies in the cloud computing arena, I think Google is one of the better bets. I hope I'm right. All very true, Steve. It is a dilemma and I see your point. Google Notebook closing was an unfortunate thing. Of course, they didn’t terminate Notebook, they closed it to new users, which is very different. If you use Notebook you can continue to do so. As for trusting the cloud to your data, I think Google Gears answers that. All of my data is backed up locally. I can work on a document whether or not I am on the internet. If Google Docs were to blow up, I could export my documents to another format. All this said, our district also installs open office. Between the two services, we have a robust and collaborative set of tools.

All business is driven by the bottom line. So is education, unfortunately, as we are about to discover in the upcoming budget year (I am not saying it should be.) Google has been very generous to education. Of all the companies in the cloud computing arena, I think Google is one of the better bets. I hope I’m right.

]]> By: Steve http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/comment-page-1/#comment-3327 Steve Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:56:27 +0000 http://openedweb.com/blog/?p=1056#comment-3327 I hopped on when when the modems were a little faster, but I do remember fidonet. I subscribed to several BBSs. Most used First Class rather than Waffle. I hopped on when when the modems were a little faster, but I do remember fidonet. I subscribed to several BBSs. Most used First Class rather than Waffle.

]]> By: Steve http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/comment-page-1/#comment-3325 Steve Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:44:06 +0000 http://openedweb.com/blog/?p=1056#comment-3325 Nobody can argue that Google doesn't have an impressive tool set--many difficult to replicate (believe me--I have tried and will continue to do so). The point is that if you store your data with them, there are no guarantees about the data: 15.1 SUBJECT TO OVERALL PROVISION IN PARAGRAPH 14.1 ABOVE, YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT GOOGLE, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES, AND ITS LICENSORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR: (A) ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES WHICH MAY BE INCURRED BY YOU, HOWEVER CAUSED AND UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY.. THIS SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, ANY LOSS OF PROFIT (WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY), ANY LOSS OF GOODWILL OR BUSINESS REPUTATION, ANY LOSS OF DATA SUFFERED, COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSS; Now if you had the option of paying for services that had some kind of guarantee and enforceable contract, that would be another thing altogether. Furthermore, Google can pull the plug on any service that it sees fit: 13.3 Google may at any time, terminate its legal agreement with you if: (E) the provision of the Services to you by Google is, in Google’s opinion, no longer commercially viable. I don't believe that Google is driven by altruism, rather they are driven by profit motive. Not that this is inherently a bad thing, but they would use more diligence if there was a profit motive keeping data safe. Also, looking at their past behavior in terms of Chinese dissidents, they clearly choose profit rather than to "do no harm." In addition, Google Video is not the only service they have withdrawn abruptly. They have also just closed Google Notebook. Nobody can argue that Google doesn’t have an impressive tool set–many difficult to replicate (believe me–I have tried and will continue to do so). The point is that if you store your data with them, there are no guarantees about the data:

15.1 SUBJECT TO OVERALL PROVISION IN PARAGRAPH 14.1 ABOVE, YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT GOOGLE, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES, AND ITS LICENSORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR:

(A) ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES WHICH MAY BE INCURRED BY YOU, HOWEVER CAUSED AND UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY.. THIS SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, ANY LOSS OF PROFIT (WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY), ANY LOSS OF GOODWILL OR BUSINESS REPUTATION, ANY LOSS OF DATA SUFFERED, COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSS;

Now if you had the option of paying for services that had some kind of guarantee and enforceable contract, that would be another thing altogether.

Furthermore, Google can pull the plug on any service that it sees fit:

13.3 Google may at any time, terminate its legal agreement with you if:

(E) the provision of the Services to you by Google is, in Google’s opinion, no longer commercially viable.

I don’t believe that Google is driven by altruism, rather they are driven by profit motive. Not that this is inherently a bad thing, but they would use more diligence if there was a profit motive keeping data safe. Also, looking at their past behavior in terms of Chinese dissidents, they clearly choose profit rather than to “do no harm.”

In addition, Google Video is not the only service they have withdrawn abruptly. They have also just closed Google Notebook.

]]> By: Tradenet http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/comment-page-1/#comment-3322 Tradenet Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:32:58 +0000 http://openedweb.com/blog/?p=1056#comment-3322 Good Stuff. I myself have been around since fidonet connecting at 1200 baud. Cheering as we downloaded our first 50k packet. Do people remember Waffle? Good Stuff. I myself have been around since fidonet connecting at 1200 baud.
Cheering as we downloaded our first 50k packet. Do people remember Waffle?

]]> By: Jason Scott http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/comment-page-1/#comment-3319 Jason Scott Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:49:33 +0000 http://openedweb.com/blog/?p=1056#comment-3319 Google Video was portrayed as being a number of new things: a platform for selling video, a place to upload your work (not general media, that was prohibited by copyright, even if they didn't enforce all that much) and then, ultimately, they have frozen it in favor of youtube. The thing is, this was all done mostly with the space of two years. You're still in the wow phase, and that's cool; there's a lot of wow in Google. But their behavior shows that when "something" inside them decides a service shouldn't continue, the warning is in less than a couple months and the retrieval policies are minimal/non-existent. Google Video was portrayed as being a number of new things: a platform for selling video, a place to upload your work (not general media, that was prohibited by copyright, even if they didn’t enforce all that much) and then, ultimately, they have frozen it in favor of youtube. The thing is, this was all done mostly with the space of two years.

You’re still in the wow phase, and that’s cool; there’s a lot of wow in Google. But their behavior shows that when “something” inside them decides a service shouldn’t continue, the warning is in less than a couple months and the retrieval policies are minimal/non-existent.

]]> By: John Calvert http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/comment-page-1/#comment-3313 John Calvert Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:01:35 +0000 http://openedweb.com/blog/?p=1056#comment-3313 Hi Steve, I agree that the user should proceed cautiously when it comes to cloud computing - but not all could computing is equal. Google makes it possible to export files in other formats and Gears allows off line work. Jason quickly flamed Google for the recent demise of Google Video, but can you blame them considering that Google now owns YouTube? The fact remains, services like Google for education provide schools with unparalleled collaborative capability while giving students and teachers access to files anywhere and anytime. Not a bad deal, in my opinion. Hi Steve,

I agree that the user should proceed cautiously when it comes to cloud computing – but not all could computing is equal. Google makes it possible to export files in other formats and Gears allows off line work. Jason quickly flamed Google for the recent demise of Google Video, but can you blame them considering that Google now owns YouTube? The fact remains, services like Google for education provide schools with unparalleled collaborative capability while giving students and teachers access to files anywhere and anytime. Not a bad deal, in my opinion.

]]> By: Jason Scott http://openedweb.com/blog/2009/01/27/beware-of-cloud-freebies/comment-page-1/#comment-3300 Jason Scott Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:14:48 +0000 http://openedweb.com/blog/?p=1056#comment-3300 I love it when people read that essay and get it! I love it when people read that essay and get it!

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