"Apple has rejected the Voice App from all iPhones, the sort of behavior Microsoft never dared to attempt with Windows": there is a large difference to this daring, namely in monopoly size. Apple holds 4% of the market, MS holds well over 90% of the market!

Ummm... Was this article supposed to say anything? I read it twice and still couldn't figure out if the author was for or against cloud computing. He was more concerned about potential abuses of power. While I admit that placing control of your data in anyone else's hands is dangerous, I still have to ask the author: do you have a point?

Clearly, the debate on cloud computing has just begun and will only become more interesting. Prof. Zittrain offers a rare voice of erudition, expertise and reason. He raises very pertinent risks and issues where the nebulous world of cloud-computing meets the codified and sometimes clinical world of law.

5 Questions I would ask ANY cloud computing provider:
1. How do you see 'chain of custody' and 'data privacy compliance' being managed?
2. What kinds of end to end SLA's and inter-agent OLA's do you see playing out?
3. What type of availability targets can be set realistically when you span multiple clouds?
4. What type of Data Center tiering forms the 'boring but real' physical underpinning required to deliver the cloud itself?
5. What are you specifically NOT going to be responsible for?

More thoughts
on real clouds vs. tech clouds

Unfortunately, cloud computing has followed a technology 'tradition' by coming into town with its caravan of truths, half-truths and myths. I hope to see this debate continue, with the civil and commercial clarity that it merits

Best,
Sainath Nagarajan
Managing Director
www.obviousideas.com
business value alignment
linking strategy | organization | execution

Blog http://obviousideas.wordpress.com
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/obviousideas

Interesting debate about the Cloud. Though the comment that really shocked me in the original article was "The cloud can be even more dangerous abroad, as it makes it much easier for authoritarian regimes to spy on their citizens." Do Americans really think that "abroad" is this one big homogeneous and risky place? Do they not realise that there are regions "abroad", such as Europe, where personal information is much better protected by law than in the US?