Posts Tagged google
Is Cloud Computing Just A Dream?
The basic idea of cloud computing is an extension to the “dumb terminal” idea from the 1980′s, that is, there is one master server or place where all the data is kept and all the processing is done and give small dedicated “thin client” machines (basic PC systems with very streamlined features and specifications) a connection to this to perform their work.
Current examples of everyday web-based services that are now finding themselves in the envelope of the cloud computing description are services such as GMail.
Now with virtualisation overtaking the workplace, the hardware idea from the past becomes software, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) seems like the logical next step: desktop machines, laptops, netbooks and other dedicated remote access clients such as smartphones provide access to the data externally, but everything else is in the server room and data center. Sounds like every network and system administrator’s maintenance dream right? But some are a little critical of the purported promised land of networked computing.
Richard Stallman, Founder of the Free Software Foundation, said recently likened cloud computing to a trap and that users are leaving their data and privacy in the hands of companies they do not control and they cannot be guaranteed data integrity or user privacy. “Do your own computing on your own computer with your copy of a freedom-respecting program. If you use a proprietary program or somebody else’s Web server, you’re defenseless. You’re putty in the hands of whoever developed that software,” he said.
Proponents of cloud computing, such as Google, say that cloud computing has many benefits. They believe that netbooks used for cloud computing are secure as third-party programs cannot be installed, which means viruses and spyware will have more difficulty in making life difficult for users.
However the path to future computing runs one thing is for sure, aspects of cloud computing today are here to stay.
Google says ‘I do’ to wedding planning
Google is getting into wedding planning.
The internet search giant launched a new site, google.com/weddings, this week offering its free tools and products to couples preparing to tie the knot.
Google Sites allows a couple to create a website featuring information about the bride and groom, the ceremony, directions, nearby hotels, an RSVP list and a gift registry.
Google Docs offers wedding planning tools including a guest list, seating chart, reception menu, budget planner and more.
Photographs can be saved and shared online using Picasa.
Google said it had enlisted a wedding planner to help design the new site.
Intel hacked at same time as Google
Intel has revealed that it was targeted by a “sophisticated” hacker attack this year at about the same time as a spying probe that hit Google.
Intel disclosed the attack in a regulatory filing late Monday. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Intel was infiltrated or that the attackers were the same ones that targeted Google.
Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said Tuesday that the attack on Intel wasn’t broad-based like the one that hit Google. He said Intel isn’t aware of any intellectual property being stolen.
Intel, like other major corporations, faces constant computer attacks. Mulloy said the company was only pointing out there was a connection in terms of the timing of the Google attacks as part of a disclosure to investors about the company’s risks.
The disclosure comes amid heightened fears of state-sponsored espionage targeting corporate computer networks. Google revealed last month that its network was attacked from inside China and that the intruders stole intellectual property — an attack that Google says could cause it to leave China.
Google said at least 20 other companies were targeted as part of the attack, but those companies weren’t identified. Software maker Adobe Systems Inc. and Rackspace Inc., a Web hosting service, have acknowledged being targets.
Intel is the world’s largest maker of microprocessors, the “brains” of personal computers and servers, with about 80 percent of the worldwide market for those chips.
Information Source smh.com.au
