Re: Please let's not talk about "clouds"
> Is AWS a program, or is it a service?
> In other words, does Amazon offer you a copy of AWS (a program),
> or is it a service that you might communicate with thru an API?
It is, of course, the latter. It is a service; it is, in fact, a number of
discrete services.
In that case, it makes no sense to say that AWS is "proprietary".
That concept applies to programs.
At Eucalyptus, we do our best to provide you with "a
copy of AWS" -- a local program that provides the same set of services,
Eucalyptus is a program, so it does make sense to say it is free. But
it's not a "copy" of AWS; there is no such thing as "copying" a
service. For precision, we should say rather that Eucalyptus
implements a service compatible with AWS.
-- but I find the NIST definitions of "cloud" helpful here, as they
provide concrete terminology for study/debate:
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf
I looked at them once. I don't recall the details, but ISTR this was
just one of several different meanings with which "cloud" is used.
If the term were used with just one of these meanings -- ANY one of
them -- it might not be a problem. But it is used with several widely
varying meanings, and that makes it confusing.
I agree; the terminology tends to be confusing and full of marketing-isms.
I personally am satisfied that we at Eucalyptus are trying to do the right
thing -- i.e. provide freedom and choice for users who have attached
themselves to the AWS service model.
It seems good to me, as far as I can tell. I just wish you didn't
use the word "cloud" to describe it.
--
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation
51 Franklin St
Boston MA 02110
USA
www.fsf.org www.gnu.org
Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.
Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call
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