cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Microsoft's Cloud

artmo
Aspiring Champion
Posts: 19,524
Thanks: 421
Registered: ‎12-08-2007

Microsoft's Cloud

An interesting item on BBC News about Microsoft's launch of Azure which is its Cloud technology designed to compete with Google and Amazon for online storage. 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7693993.stm
11 REPLIES 11
artificer
Grafter
Posts: 1,850
Registered: ‎11-08-2007

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

setting themselves up for a nice long fall?
not keen on the idea of my data being stored by people with their reputation, nor their os's.  i put up me magnum opus and their cloud drifts away (server falls over).  furthermore, they now have control of my data. being microsoft, they will probably claim copyright and intellectual property rights.
no ta.  my data stays on a hard drive i can put my hands on.
windows azure - gone in a puff of wind!
artmo
Aspiring Champion
Posts: 19,524
Thanks: 421
Registered: ‎12-08-2007

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

I take your point artificer but don't forget Google and Amazon are already there and apparently much more advanced than MS who are playing catchup.  I won'r be rushing to give them my data either.
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

had a big discussion on this recently - consensus - bad idea
see http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,69646.msg554817.html#msg554817
techguy
Grafter
Posts: 2,540
Registered: ‎12-09-2008

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

I think this will just be another Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud because for an OS to run from a data centre the bandwidth overhead would be astronomical and frankly what ISP would be willing to support that?
Unless MS plan to launch their own ISP (remember they are a member of the London Internet Exchange, LINX as are plusnet so in theory they could) However, I think then the take up of Linux would skyrocket as people (myself included) won't pay MS a sub to use my PC.
I pay PN a sub to operate a network to provide me with connectivity to the internet which is fair enough but paying to turn my computer on? I don't think so!

Thunderclap
Grafter
Posts: 673
Registered: ‎08-09-2008

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

Great idea, but it assumes an always on, always fast, anywhere connection. They get around the issue of a link being down by allocating something called Remote Storage. Which is data stored on a computer's hard drive. But isn't that what already happens?
PDC2008 http://www.microsoftpdc.com/
techguy
Grafter
Posts: 2,540
Registered: ‎12-09-2008

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

Errr yes

So basically its synchronisation on steroids then
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

And if you live more than 1 km from exchange forget it then, It reminds me of the other "Boffins" about four years ago who were popping up every where saying " Ditch M$S and get Linux, it is the saviour of the World"
OK, I have got one of those little Asus machines with prebuilt Linux, it works.  But even now even the "Geeks" like tecguy cant get it working, nor can Mal.  so get with it folks, we dont all live in a laboratory 
techguy
Grafter
Posts: 2,540
Registered: ‎12-09-2008

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

tinkering with Linux has brought me back to square one where I was when starting out with DOS, a real education.
artificer
Grafter
Posts: 1,850
Registered: ‎11-08-2007

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

funnily enough, i don't tinker with my main install.  it just does what i want it to do.  i keep a spare machine for tinkering.
techguy
Grafter
Posts: 2,540
Registered: ‎12-09-2008

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

alright alright, we know you love PCLinuxOS
artificer
Grafter
Posts: 1,850
Registered: ‎11-08-2007

Re: Microsoft's Cloud

i do indeed.  of all the distros touted as easy for the beginner migrating from windows, pclinuxos is the one that did it for me.  it recognised all my hardware, installed without issue and let me get on with the job of using my computer instead of constantly nursing it.  at last i was having fun with my computer again.  naturally, i have an affinity for a distribution that made computing fun and the computer reliable.
we have an os/distro/software discussion section on the pclinuxos forum and i get to read about the members' experiences with all the new releases that come out.  so often do i see 'it's very nice, but'.  there's always a but.
provided the procedures for upgrading are followed, pclinuxos is rock-solid reliable and an excellent workhorse platform to learn from while getting on with your work without hindrance.  so good is the base install that some members have built specialist distros on top of it, like bel and tinyme.
for the inexperienced in linux user, i find it ideal.  it's an excellent starting point for people who can then spread their wings and try the more cutting edge distros.  for lazy people like me, it provides a reliable operating system i can forget i'm using.