
The Cloud Isn’t a Mainframe. Seriously. - rizzn
http://siliconangle.net/ver2/2009/10/23/the-cloud-isnt-a-mainframe-seriously/
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JoeAltmaier
So what is a Cloud? Its a data center you don't own. Since most users never
visited a data center, the analogy isn't vivid. So we'll continue to hear the
Mainframe analogy. Btw it IS much like a Mainframe when you have a static
server cluster in the cloud. Thats not Enterprise but its pretty common, maybe
more instances of that setup.

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rizzn
Here's the problem with oversimplifying it to client/server mainframe
terminology - people get all caught up in the fact that client/server stuff
isn't "new," and thus since it went out of vogue some time back, it's
disproven technology.

The fact is, whether or not the "average user" doesn't understand the
difference doesn't mean there isn't one.

The average user doesn't understand the difference between a lithium ion
battery and a nicad battery.. The average user doesn't understand the
difference between an internal combustion engine and a hybrid electric engine.
Just because different technologies appear different on the surface doesn't
mean that there aren't fundamental differences under the hood.

It's important to clearly define these differences, particularly for those who
are choosing to participate in cloud punditry but can't be bothered to look up
the wikipedia entry on cloud computing.

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wattersjames
I think the point I'm really trying to make is that you can't just load a
program into the cloud. The cloud is more like a software based mainframe if
anything, but it requires a whole new set of architectures and a different way
of thinking--and has radically different economic forces.

