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Unlocking the cloud
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| Open-source software has won the argument. Now a new threat to openness looms
|
| [...]
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| But now there is the danger of a new form of lock-in. “Cloud computing”—the
| delivery of computer services from vast warehouses of shared machines—enables
| companies and individuals to cut costs by handing over the running of their
| e-mail, customer databases or accounting software to someone else, and then
| accessing it over the internet. There are many advantages to this approach
| for both customers (lower cost, less complexity) and service providers
| (economies of scale). But customers risk losing control once again, in
| particular over their data, as they migrate into the cloud. Moving from one
| service provider to another could be even more difficult than switching
| between software packages in the old days. For a foretaste of this problem,
| try moving your MySpace profile to Facebook without manually retyping
| everything.
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http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13740181
Related:
Life after cyber-death
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| But thanks to improvements in desktop versions of Linux, we can now do
| something better.
|
| Apart from being able to run easily on clunky old machines, the great thing
| about Linux is the way thousands of the world’s most professional programmers
| have volunteered their spare time to improving the breed—with nothing to gain
| save personal satisfaction and the respect of their peers. Thanks to their
| efforts, there’s recently been a flood of slick desktop versions of the
| rugged open-source operating system.
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http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10500554
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