Cloud Computing Attacked By Stallman, Ellison

GNU Richard Stallman warns users away from over-hyped cloud computing. “If you use a proprietary program or somebody else’s Web server, you’re defenseless,” he says. (The Guardian)

Although Oracle is adding SaaS offerings at a rapid pace, its CEO, Larry Ellison, also calls cloud computing “gibberish” and says it’s been redefined “to include everything that we already do.”

Rough Type blogger Nicholas Carr agrees that cloud computing is over-hyped, but notes that Oracle will provide cloud computing services regardless of Ellison’s comments because SaaS will inevitably “continue on its appointed course.”

InformationWeek blogger John Foley provides a definition of cloud computing and explains how it’s different from the ASP model, grid computing, and other variations of the service to which SaaS is being compared in unflattering lights.

A Gartner analyst lays the blame for confusion on vendor hype and offers his own definition of cloud computing.

Sources:

• Cloud Computing Is A Trap, Warns GNU Founder (The Guardian)
• Oracle CEO Larry Ellison Spits On Cloud Computing Hype (eWEEK)
• Shooting At Clouds (Rough Type)
• A Definition Of Cloud Computing (InformationWeek)
• Gartner Says Conflicting Views On Cloud Computing Are Creating Confusion (Gartner)

Recommended:

• Cloud Computing Pondered At eBay Event (InfoWorld)