Re: Please let's not talk about "clouds"
Yes, Cloud IaaS is different from just "remote virtual computer rental".
For example, typically, you'd have a service to store virtual machine
images that you have customized, in order to start them as you need (for
example, if you have a peak of usage). On an IaaS cloud, you'd have a
rich API to be able to create LANs, assign public IPs to some virtual
machines, mount some permanent block storage, etc.
It sounds like what you're talking about is rental of a remote virtual
computer with certain specific features that are useful for offering
Internet services to the public.
If you think that is mistaken, could you tell me what the error is?
If the term "cloud" were used in computing solely for this, it would
cause no harm, and I would use it. However, millions of people think
that "the cloud" means services that store files for users (i.e.,
suckers) prepared to surrender all privacy on their files. There are
other completely unrelated scenarios that are also commonly referred
to with the term "cloud".
Richard, I took a special care of using "IaaS cloud", and each and every
single time, since we discuss the fact that just using "cloud" wasn't
enough.
This was an amusing contretemps. I did not know what you meant by
saying "IaaS cloud" so many times; I had to guess. I guessed that the
reason you said "IaaS cloud" instead of just "Iaas" was to insist on
using the word "cloud".
Each time, I had to explicitly reject the term "cloud", because the
alternative was to start using it myself, and I am not going
to let anyone lead me into doing that.
There's nothing confusing to me. Virtual machine images for the cloud
can only be used in IaaS type of cloud. We really know what we are
talking about, and we don't even need to specify.
It's not confusing for YOU. You won't confuse this "cloud" with all
the other types of "cloud", because you're an expert and you know what
you mean.
But other people, non-experts, will be confused.
We are talking about "cloud computing infrastructure as a service". Like
it or not, this is what people call it.
No, that's not true. That is not what "people" call it.
I'm a person and I don't call it that.
You're a person, and you don't have to call it that.
That is what SOME people call it.
We don't have to follow them in making a mistake.
IaaS is specific enough -- as long as we don't confuse
things by saying "cloud".
--
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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