By Mike Ricciuti, 1 October 2008 08:41
NEWS
Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation and creator of the GNU operating system, has slammed cloud computing as "stupidity" that ultimately will result in vendor lock-in and escalating costs.
In a report posted by The Guardian, Stallman said: "The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we've redefined [it] to include everything that we already do."
Cloud computing, the latest marketing description for a notion put forth by computer industry companies in recent years, moves most of the computing power - and sometimes data - to servers maintained by companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon. The classic example of cloud computing might be Gmail, offered by Google.
Stallman said cloud computing forces people to hand over control of their information to a third party. His objections echo his longstanding belief in non-proprietary software. "One reason you should not use web applications to do your computing is that you lose control," he said. "It's just as bad as using a proprietary program."
He added: "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 defenceless. You're putty in the hands of whoever developed that software."
Stallman dismissed cloud computing as industry bluster. "It's stupidity. It's worse than stupidity: it's a marketing hype campaign," he said. "Somebody is saying this is inevitable - and whenever you hear somebody saying that, it's very likely to be a set of businesses campaigning to make it true."
Comments
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1. George Preston
Am I putty in the hands in the people that make my car, because I have to buy parts from them? Am I putty in the hands of me employer because he/she gives me orders? Am I putty in the hands of hands of the shops where I buy things because I've believed their avderts? Probably! But does that mean that in a capitalist environment, with risk, accountability and most of all, freedom to choose, something free is going to be better?!
Stallman is an utter let-down to everyone who genuinly wants to see free software prevail. He indulges the stereotype that the fat cat monopolists find so easy to mock. Give me a sharp-tongued, on-the-ball leader with some knowledge and respect of real-life, where people acknowledge and grant hard work and fair reward, fair competition and a healthy market.
I'm sick of whenever I hear about 'free software', hearing scare-tactic childish political bullsh** thrown in for effect.
2. Anthony Guter
Good, nice to hear someone arguing against the prevalent "wisdom". I've seen more than 20 years of these IT fads and trends. If cloud computing becomes well established then at once the industry will start pushing for something different, probably describing cloud as "legacy" computing to make us all feel bad about it.
3. J Wilson
It's nice to hear someone of repute standing up and stating the obvious!
4. Simon
@ George Preston
Your analogies are wrong. If you don't like your car you can sell it and buy a different one - nothing else will change, you can still drive to work, drive to the shops, etc. Now imagine if you change your car but all the data on your laptop goes with it, all your family photos, all your music - THAT is the sort of lock-in Stallman is talking about.
Actually, perhaps a better analogy might be music. You can play CD's in your car, and when you change your car you can transfer them to the new one. But suppose instead of having your own music, you get it delivered over a wireless connection directly to the car's stereo - you come to sell the car, but all the music you've bought is now lost. Just as if you decide you don't like (say) Hotmail and move to GMail - your stored emails will be lost.
5. Russell Henley
It's a perfectly understandable standpoint to take when the whole IT industry is terrified of data theft.
The whole concept of cloud computing takes your data and puts it on someone else's web servers in a data centre that you haven't specified. Some cloud computing companies may be using SAS70 accredited data centres with the necessary security features, some may be in a leaky shed under a motorway flyover.
The main issues with this are:
1) You lose control of your data - this may be less of an issue for some types of data than others
2) You are screwed if the cloud provider goes under - and may have serious issues getting your data back
3) You have no control over the infrastructure provided and are reliant on the cloud provider to ensure you have adequate storage, backup, processing power and bandwidth - all of which cost money and cut into the bottom line of the cloud provider!
4) You also may have to deal with international boundary issues (what if your data is held in another country - who's data protection laws (if any) apply?).
The concept is wonderful, and for certain markets there is a definite appeal, but not every application works in a cloud environment.
It should be clear to any IT department that any application for which cloud computing is an option should have it's pros and cons weighed up accurately.
6. George Preston
On board your comments Simon - but bear in mind I didn't make my analogies to dispel Stallman's claims, I made them to agree - "...probably...".
But my main irk is that I don't believe Stallman's claims are true to his agenda. Cloud computing could be a boon environmentally and I don't see lock-in as being any more of an issue than it is with proprietary software. (Whether or not prop. software locks in too much isn't the point of the article.)
It's the being paid or rewarded for anything, or indeed any idea-protection or free market that Stallman seems to despise - and while those are interesting debates to have they are political, not technical in nature, and it's this overlapping between politics and practicality that is so frustrating about the open source movement to anyone who really likes seeing a thriving marketplace.
7. Nick Cole
Absolutely right! It is hard enough getting things fixed in your own organisation let alone being subject to the vagaries of multinational call centres.
The concept is all about vested interests. Trust me I'm a banker!
It isn't even as if the concept is particularly new, what about web based word processors and things for example!
8. Dan Andrews
dis-ease with current technology
I agree with Richard. This is another N American-led bit of marketing. The cloud is not an application. The cloud is something to swallow Moore's ever-available 'free' computing power not already flushed by MSFT. Seen Amazon's latest offering...SQL server in the cloud? Move from *rap from on-site to off-site.
Frankly my dear, I would like to see a tide from our shores that washes away the need for network hungry XML. Why oh Why are we moving bloated flat files around?
9. Dan Andrews
What I meant to add was that it is complete stupidity to be anti proprietary solutions. The issue is how the company distributes the IP.