Cloudy Minds

Computer manufacturers everywhere are teaming with Internet companies to build huge data centres in the hope that the entire world can be persuaded to connect to a cloud rather than log in to a laptop. A cynic might wonder if technology vendors are heavily embracing cloud computing because having all processing run centrally by a handful of companies means they would have to deal with far fewer people. Taking the Basil Fawlty approach to customer service where the job would be so much easier if there were no customers (as many do), a cloud model would release them from the current annoying collection of demanding customers in every geography, having to employ and motivate demanding sales reps and having to manage demanding business partners to sell to the customers the vendors already don't deal with.

I, however, see these announcements of Blue Cloud and Cloud OS as heralding the next inevitable phase whenever big business invests in a new field - the development of puns. There is already a stream processor called Storm-1 and programming languages are called Brook, Stream IT, Shallows, Realstream and Sh from Waterloo (which may not be a deliberate pun). Given streams contain GPUs, I wonder if it's pronounced Guppies?

With all these companies creating clouds, will there be a cumulus effect on the rest of us? (Sorry, I couldn't resist looking up my How & Why Wonder Book of Weather for other cloud names).

When a lot of clouds gather together, a storm invariably erupts. The phrasing Microsoft used when announcing its Cloud OS suggested it really wanted to name it Hurricane (something to blow other clouds away?).