Before we dig further into how does cloud computing work, first let’s understand what the term “cloud” refers to.  The concept of the cloud has been around for a long time in many different incarnations in the business world. It mostly means a grid of computers serving as a service-oriented architecture to deliver software and data.

Most websites and server-based applications run on particular computers or servers. What differentiates the cloud from the way those are set up is that the cloud utilizes the resources from the computers as a collective virtual computer, where the applications can run independently from particular computer or server configurations. They are basically floating around in a “cloud of resources”, making the hardware less important to how the applications work.

With broadband internet, the need to have the software run on your computer or on a company’s site is becoming less and less essential. A lot of the software that people use nowadays are completely web-based. The cloud takes advantage of that to bring it to the next level.

For example, if you are hosting your website on a local server or from your PC, you must usually select a particular operating system (Windows/Linux/Mac), to determine what software you can run on that particular server. If your site is being hosted in the cloud, there is no need to do that. You can run Windows and Linux programs side by side.

How is that done?

To understand how does cloud computing work, imagine that the cloud consists of layers — mostly the back-end layers and the front-end or user-end layers. The front-end layers are the ones you see and interact with. When you access your email on Gmail for example, you are using software running on the front-end of a cloud. The same is true when you access your Facebook account. The back-end consists of the hardware and the software architecture that fuels the interface you see on the front end.

Because the computers are set up to work together, the applications can take advantage of all that computing power as if they were running on one particular machine. Cloud computing also allows for a lot of flexibility. Depending on the demand, you can increase how much of the cloud resources you use without the need for assigning specific hardware for the job, or just reduce the amount of resources assigned to you when they are not necessary.

Will it change the way we use computers?

The transition from being very ‘personal hardware dependent’ to a world where resources are shared among the masses is creeping up on us slowly and unobtrusively. Very many people have already transitioned to using a cloud environment for most of their time in front of the computer without even realizing it.

Sure, most of us still use some version of Microsoft Office or Quickbooks that was installed on our computers, but even those kinds of software are now offering an online version that can be used instead. The possibility of being able to access your data and software wherever you need it makes this transition very appealing to most people.

Are there problems with this concept? Of course there are. If for some reason your internet goes down, your access to your data also disappears. There are security concerns with the data and the risk that companies will use proprietary formats for the files and that require that you pay for a certain service monthly or you may lose access to your own data permanently.

So choose wisely when picking a service to use with your important data and make sure it can be downloaded if needed, but also enjoy the flexibility those services provide. The wave of the future is in the clouds…

What cloud services are currently part of your life?

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A netbook is not a laptop. It is smaller, less powerful and considerably cheaper. This isn’t to say a netbook is inferior to a laptop; on the contrary, I use my Eee PC more often than any other computer. I mean only to say that a netbook is different than a laptop, and as such should be used differently.

It’s for that reason I’m not interested in using an operating system designed for desktop computers – such as Windows or Ubuntu – on my netbook. I want something designed to do what netbooks do best – access the net – but which also allows for some flexibility. I want a system optimized for netbooks that’s easy to install and set up. I want my netbook to work, consistently and quickly.

I’ve been looking for the perfect operating system download for netbook, and along the way I’ve checked out Chrome OS and Moblin. Chrome’s Internet-only approach turned me off, and while I was quite impressed with Moblin, I concluded it’s not quite ready to be my primary netbook operating system yet.

Jolicloud, however, is the real deal. It exists in a world where desktop applications and web apps are on the same level, and it does so with style. Best of all, it’s extremely easy to use.

Why It’s Cool

At first glance, regular Linux users will think the Jolicloud operating system download for netbook looks like a skinned Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Jolicloud is based on Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.04, and Ubuntu users will certainly feel right at home, but Jolicloud’s got more to offer than just a new color scheme.

Jolicloud’s mission is to build an operating system completely optimized for netbooks. This is made evident by the system’s optimized Linux configuration, designed to get the most out of netbook hardware. Also, the programs offered are lean to begin with, and then tweaked to run quickly and best make use of a netbook’s limited screen space. For example, here is how Firefox looks out of the box on Jolicloud:

As you can see, the top of the window is integrated into the top toolbar – a tweak Jolicloud inherited from Ubuntu Netbook Remix. That’s not all, though. The “File Edit View” toolbar is gone, replaced by a single arrow to the right of the search box. The statusbar disappears until you start loading a site – an interface idea borrowed from Google Chrome.

All of these tweaks are designed to save the netbook user what he lacks most: vertical space. This means there’s more room on the netbook’s small screen to look at content, as less is used showing toolbars that aren’t absolutely necessary to have on the screen.

Such tweaks are subtle, and the user could obviously do these things themselves with Ubuntu or Windows to create their own perfect netbook operating system. But they don’t have to, because Jolicloud exists.

Application Manager

Perhaps the greatest thing about Jolicloud is its application manager. Hundreds of free apps are available, and all can be installed with a single click.

To install any of these programs, the user needs only click the “Install” button beneath them. It’s that easy. Boxee, Dropbox, VLC, Skype and Google Chrome are all featured here, so MakeUseOf readers should feel right at home with the selection.

You’ll also notice Gmail, Google Maps and Facebook are listed here as applications. Many of the applications available to Jolicloud users are, in fact, websites – fitting for a netbook operating system, and quite savvy when you consider the way people use computers today.

Web Apps

A lot of the websites most people use every day – including Gmail, Remember the Milk and Google Calendar—are better thought of as applications than they are websites. Gmail, for example, is a complete email interface (and an extremely powerful one at that.)

Such websites-as-applications are so common on today’s Internet that we even have a term for them: web apps.

Jolicloud offers hundreds of web apps in its application manager. Install these and those given web apps can run in their own window, apart from your browser.

Check it out:

Here you can see the Gmail app opened in Jolicloud. As you can tell, it’s basically a full-screen browser, sans toolbars or controls – that is, it’s Gmail as though Gmail were a program and not a web site.

It sounds useless, but it’s not. The vertical space saved by leaving out the various toolbars means you’ve more room to use Gmail for reading and sending email. Since everything you need to use Gmail is included in Gmail itself, however, you won’t miss the flexibility of a browser.

Best of all, if you click a link in an email it will open in your browser window, leaving your Gmail window running Gmail.

What I really love about this approach is it means I can use my browser just for browsing. As an avid user of Google’s various offerings as part of my work flow, I always have a Gmail tab, a Google Maps tab and a Google Voice tab open on my browser.

Not anymore. Now I leave those programs running as separate web apps, meaning that when I’m researching an article or troubleshooting a technical problem I can focus on the task at hand: browsing.

Compatibility

The Jolicloud team lists all compatible hardware on its website. If your netbook is on that list you can expect full, out-of-the-box compatibility. If not, there’s a good chance Jolicloud will still work for you, and the team always appreciates learning about new models that work. Give it a shot either way.

Download Jolicloud

Installing the Jolicloud operating system download for netbook is easy. If your netbook runs Windows you can download a single executable – run it and Jolicloud will install like any other application. This is a great way to try out this new operating system. Download the Jolicloud installer for Windows here.

Alternatively, you can download the ISO file. Jolicloud even provides an easy-to-use program that can copy the image to a flash drive—though be warned, the program deletes all data on your flash drive. Download the Jolicloud ISO and image-writing software here.

Conclusion

If you’ve read about Jolicloud before, and though it was just a gimmick, you’re not alone: I thought so too. But after trying it out I have to say I’m impressed. Everything worked out of the box, and it featured the sleekest way to install and update software I’ve seen on any platform. This is a netbook operating system done right, so give it a spin.

And when you do, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below. Do you think this represents a good approach to a netbook operating system? Or do you think another operating system does a better job? Comment away!

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In the past, I have written articles on several different web apps including Tweetfunnel and HootSuite.  Notice that both of those are web apps, meaning that you don’t install them on your computer but run them directly from the Internet from your web browser.  There is another whole category of Twitter clients that you install on your PC, including Tweetdeck, Twhirl and Seesmic.

Therein lies the debate!  Which type of Twitter client do you prefer — the web app or the desktop app?  Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each and see where we land!

The web app Twitter client

There are many reasons someone may choose to use a web app as their Twitter client of choice.  In fact, Mahendra wrote a great article about 4 good web based alternatives to some of the popular desktop Twitter apps.  In his post, he listed several good reasons someone might choose to go web-based, including:

1. Running another application takes up more system resources so a web-based app could help to conserve system resources.
2. It can be easier to not have to switch between another program and your browser windows.
3. No download is necessary and version control is taken care of for you.
4. Perhaps you will find more options in the web-based alternatives.

Using web-based applications in general have certain advantages such as having access on any Internet connected computer with a web browser, not worrying about installing and updating, and hard drive space is no longer an issue.  It almost seems everything is moving toward the “cloud” doesn’t it?

Currently my web app of choice is still HootSuite because it’s easy to use, easy to track stats, and the Hootlet bookmarklet makes sharing links easy.  However, there are some reasons why I find myself using a desktop app also.

The desktop app Twitter client

Desktop apps do have their benefits.  One of most used Twitter clients is Tweetdeck and that is a desktop app.  So, why do people still choose to use desktop apps in light of the benefits of web apps?

1. Refreshing some of the web-based clients can become cumbersome.
2. Many desktop clients make being notified of tweets quite simple.
3. It’s easy having the program running in the tray ready for access.
4. Sometimes issues can be resolved by the user by reopening or reinstalling a program whereas if the webapp goes down, you’re out of luck.

Aside from the typical power apps such as Seesmic and Tweetdeck, there are the browser plugins such as Echofon and Chromed Bird.

I prefer to use this type of app because I get notifications directly in my browser window.

Cast Your Vote

OK, now it’s time for YOU to weigh in on this topic. What did I miss? What is your preference: desktop-based OR web-based Twitter applications?  Which application do you use most often?

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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Its offerings include full length album previews, an online store with 7 million songs, DRM-free high quality variable bit rate MP3 music downloads, a web-based music jukebox and social network, all in one tightly knit interface.

Lala turns out to be one of those websites that are great, yet somehow aren’t yet gathering the crowds lesser competitors are. With just over 20 people on the staff and consistent funding from Warner Music, you can be sure this service won’t disappear into the mist of the economic recession. While the 500 000+ members don’t stack up to Last.fm or Facebook, it isn’t exactly a niche audience.

Lala’s web designers and coders created an Apple-like experience, everything neatly integrated and in sync. A simple, functional interface reveals the minimalistic approach to the design of the web site. I wonder though if the iTunes interface is the pinnacle of media player design, designers decided to cut some corners or they intentionally opted for a similar layout to make new users feel ‘at home’.

Once you’ve created an account, which doesn’t take more than 30 seconds and doesn’t require a credit card, you can preview whole songs and albums for free (once). Your existing music library can be easily imported using the Lala Music Mover, a small application that matches songs on your computer with the catalog of music downloads available online. It works on Windows as well as on Macs and doesn’t use a lot of resources. Once the upload process is completed, you can listen to all of your songs online, with no additional charge, no restrictions or ads, from any computer with an Internet connection. It will even import playlists and ratings (using the beta version).

Individual tracks can be purchased and downloaded in MP3 format without DRM and a high quality variable bit rate encoding. Downloads are automatically added to your iTunes or Windows Media Player if you installed the Lala Music Mover. For ten cents you can purchase the right to stream a song from the website as many times as desired, a so-called “web song“. Depending on the song popularity and release date, MP3 music downloads range from $0.79 to $1.29, the same pricing scheme of the iTunes Music Store. Lala has strong connections with the music industry and currently indexes over 7 million songs.

The social networking aspect of the service combines different ideas from more general social networks such as Twitter and Facebook and does a good job of serving recommendations, aiding music discovery, while not duplicating unnecessary functionality.

The only caveat to this service is that it only works with United States IP addresses due to music licenses. Of course, you guys know how to get passed that. Go to Lala, give it a try and then come back to share your experiences in the comments. For more posts related to music, you should definitely have a look at MakeUseOf’s music section.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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ZumoDrive is an online storage service that everyone can use to store their files in the Cloud and access them from different computers. What makes it different from the rest of its competitors is the way it manages the data on your computer. Most storage services create a folder on your local hard drive and sync all of the data to/from that folder. This might be a good idea in order to keep the data in sync, but what if you are using a 4GB Netbook and you have 10GB of data in the cloud? Your Netbook won’t be able to hold all the data.

What ZumoDrive does is: mount itself as a drive on the computer and “tricks” the computer into thinking that the hosted data are local. When you click to open any file (or music) from ZumoDrive, it will stream those files from the cloud and open them with any local application. This way, even if you are running out of hard disk space, you can still access 10GB (or even 500GB) of data from your computer effortlessly.

What happens if I am not connected to the Web?

There will certainly be times when you are not connected to the Web, so does it mean that you won’t be able to access to your data? This is what I thought when I first used ZumoDrive. Apparently, ZumoDrive is clever enough to prevent this from happening.

When using ZumoDrive, your hosted files are tagged with a specific logo on the icons. This means that the files are currently residing on the cloud server.

When you click to open any file, it will be streamed from the server and cached on your computer. In the event that your computer is not connected to the Web, there is still a cached version on your computer that you can open, view and edit; just like any other file. The next time you are connected to the Web, ZumoDrive will sync the local data changes back to the cloud server.

In the settings page, you may configure the amount of hard disk space available for caching and where to store the cache. You may also set the policy for ZumoDrive to follow, whether or not to always stream file from the server, to always cache it locally or a mixture of both.

ZumoDrive for iPhone/iPod Touch

Who says you can’t playback 10GB of music when you only have a 8GB iPhone? With the Supersize Me (iTunes Store link) free iPhone app (and an Internet connection), you can play your entire music library, open and edit your documents and see view your photos directly from the cloud.

ZumoDrive is currently available for Windows, Mac OS X and iPhone/iPod Touch. Linux users can only access ZumoDrive via the Web interface. According to ZumoDrive, a Linux version is coming soon, so stay tuned to the ZumoDrive developers.

A free account comes with 1GB of storage space. Those who require more storage space may upgrade to a premium account at prices ranging between $2.99 (10GB) to $79.99 (500GB) per month. For me, 1GB of free storage space will suffice. What about you?

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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I’d love to hear from you. Send me your MP3 files containing comments about the show, reviews of your favourite websites or just general chitchat. I’ll choose a few to play on the show each week. Send them to podcast [at] makeuseof [dot] com.

If you look underneath the links from the show on this page, you will see a little media player where you can listen to the podcast right here on the site. Or if you prefer, you can right-click on the “audio MP3″ logo and save the MP3 file to your computer for listening on your MP3 player or iPod.

The podcast is available through iTunes so don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast if you have an iPod, or in another podcatcher if you have a different MP3 player.

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Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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Ultimately, the cloud will be able to replace a majority of everyday programs on local desktop computers. This brings freedom and convenience in that we don’t have to buy expensive software, we can access our data wherever we go, and we don’t have to worry about updates or security, since it’s all taken care of by the providers. The danger of course is loss of control over your privacy and data, and potential consequences are data piracy or identity theft. What if the service fails and data cannot be accessed? Imagine the internet went down, all hell would break loose. These are just some of the scenarios to be considered.

While at this point it may not be advisable to transfer your whole life to a cloud, detaching from a desktop computer may actually have great advantages, such as retaining a great deal of independence. So after starting with a somewhat lengthy introduction, let me provide you with a short list of online software alternatives to popular desktop applications.

Microsoft Word becomes Zoho

Zoho is, without a doubt, one of the most complete online office suites available to date. Zoho comes with a word processor, spreadsheets, presentation tool, note taker, organizer, project management, web conferencing and much, much more.

Other than that it provides plugins for MS Office, MS Outlook, Firefox, and IE to ensure you’re not locked up with this service, but can take your files out of the cloud to create backups or avoid online storage.

Microsoft PowerPoint becomes Preezo

If you don’t want to rely on Zoho to replace your whole office suite, here is an alternative for PowerPoint worth mentioning. Preezo is an Ajax-based web application to create and share professional presentations over the web without the need for software or plugins installed on your computer. It totally looks and works like PowerPoint and you can import or export .ppt files. Perfect.

Microsoft Excel becomes EditGrid or ChartAll

Not quite Excel but close. EditGrid is one of the most comprehensive online spreadsheet providers. Another possible alternative, much simpler but therefore not requiring you to sign up, is chartAll.

MS Outlook becomes Google Mail

What more do I need to say? At this point we are stuck with Google because to my knowledge there is not a worthy alternative to GMail.

If you would like to learn more about GMail, and let me tell you there is a lot you probably don’t know about it yet, search Make Use Of for some great articles! Or go directly to our Gmail tag.

Microsoft OneNote becomes LinoIt or Springnote

LinoIt is an online pinboard to which you can stick your notes to. You can have multiple canvases for multiple purposes, make them public or share them with specific users. The stickies can serve as reminders or to-to lists, organizing and customizing stickies is easy, and you can post new ones by eMail.

If you’re looking for more advanced note taking, give Springnote a try, which I reviewed in detail several weeks ago.

Adobe Photoshop becomes Splashup or PhotoShop Express

Websites like Photoshop Express or Splashup may not be a complete or worthy replacement for Adobe’s Photoshop. However, they provide a very familiar interface and cover more than just the most basic photo editing tools. Definitely better than fiddling with some crappy desktop application (e.g. the Windows default), when Photoshop is not available.

Instant Messengers become Meebo

Meebo allows instant messaging through all popular messengers via your browser. It supports AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Google Talk, and more.

Simon wrote about Meebo and two more web-based IM clients back in July this year.

Your Desktop Online

Back in March I wrote about online desktops (aka Web Os). As pointed out in the comments, this may not make sense for most people. However, to retain a familiar desktop environment with shortcuts and wallpapers, it may be quite nice to have. It’s those seemingly superfluous things that make life great.

Now that you know some alternatives to desktop applications, let me say this: It may be convenient to use Google for everything, but unless there is absolutely no better alternative, don’t. Keep a variety and make your private cloud rest on more than just one foot. Last but not least, keep backups!

How far into Cloud Computing are you, and which services would you rather not trust anonymous providers with?

(By) Tina is a regular MUO author. In her offline life she’s a PhD student interested in unraveling signaling events that determine cartilage and bone development.

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