This is a valid argument. SaaS is a step in the wrong direction for use cases where continued access to the service is crucial.
I do not trust LastPass or similar third party systems with my passwords. Passwords are too important a part of my identity that I should have complete and exclusive control over it. (I use a mix of Text files+TrueCrypt+Timemachine and Dropbox for sync).
Same goes for email. I use IMAP to keep a local storage of my emails. But that is not a complete solution - my email address is still owned by a third party (Google) and they can lock me out of my identity any time they choose.
I'm currently cobbling together a couple of scripts to backup my pictures and media, mostly WORM (http://git-annex.branchable.com/backends/) data, onto multiple harddisks. The 1 TB storage of Flickr is enticing, but I'm not ready to exclusively trust a part of my identity which I want to indefinitely preserve, to yet another third party.
>my email address is still owned by a third party (Google) and they can lock me out of my identity any time
They can lock you out of your past emails, but they can't take your identity away if you use Google Apps for custom domains or MSN Live Domains. You'll still have access to your email address which would probably be "me@firstlastname.com" or something. Actually, if you make it a habit to schedule a weekly outlook download of your emails I don't think they can even lock you out of your email. I've taken steps to do the first part but I'm being lazy and not downloading all my mails onto my computer yet. [Effort vs. Payoff doesn't seem worth it yet]
Holy sweet jesus batman! That is exactly what I want, and the Effort vs. Payoff has drastically reduced. I know what my computer's going to be doing for the next few nights.
I do not trust LastPass or similar third party systems with my passwords. Passwords are too important a part of my identity that I should have complete and exclusive control over it. (I use a mix of Text files+TrueCrypt+Timemachine and Dropbox for sync).
Same goes for email. I use IMAP to keep a local storage of my emails. But that is not a complete solution - my email address is still owned by a third party (Google) and they can lock me out of my identity any time they choose.
I'm currently cobbling together a couple of scripts to backup my pictures and media, mostly WORM (http://git-annex.branchable.com/backends/) data, onto multiple harddisks. The 1 TB storage of Flickr is enticing, but I'm not ready to exclusively trust a part of my identity which I want to indefinitely preserve, to yet another third party.