I ran across this while looking for something else, but would definitely like to point to it as the way of the future. Most of us are familiar with cloud applications, such as Google Docs or Windows Live, and some us are familiar with cloud storage, such as Dropbox or Amazon Web Services. And while we wouldn't think so off the cuff, services such as Facebook and Twitter are also cloud applications. What makes these part of the cloud is, first, the functionality and data are managed on an internet server, and second, you can access this functionality and data from any one of your devices - phone, television, computer, tablet, whatever. So far so good, but online storage is expensive, while home storage is dirt cheap. I bought 4 terabytes of redundant storage (hence, 8 terabytes in all) for about $300. The same storage online would cost me more than that a month. But with applications like OwnCloud, I can set up my own cloud service my own way. No, it's not ready for prime time yet - so don't offer to set it up for your friends and neighbours. But personal clouds are the way (and wave) of the future.
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