Cloud Computing

I'm always amazed at my inability to see the "big picture" sometimes when it comes to technology...

...I first heard the term "cloud computing" probably ten years ago, and it sounded like the dumbest idea in the world to me at the time. "One day," I remember reading, "you won't purchase software and install it on your computer. Instead, the software will be available over a network like the Internet, and you'll pay a subscription to use that service." How dumb, I thought. I want to buy software ONCE and OWN it, not keep paying to use it.

The problem, though, is that software never works that way. After a year or two a new version of the software comes out, and the new version has new features that you want or need, and the only way to get it is to buy the new software.

Cloud computing, though, elminates that problem, as well as eliminating a lot of other problems, too. But it's always been difficult to explain.

The federal government, though, has announced a major initiative to introduce cloud computing in federal offices, and they've created a web site that explains the process. The website is http://apps.gov/, and once the page loads, on the right, there's a little video that explains what cloud computing is. Maybe this video will make cloud computing understandable for people who have better vision than I do.