Cloud Computing, the next wave in application use

You my have heard of Grid Computing, but have you heard of Cloud Computing? Unless you have been too busy tracking the ups and downs of your stock prices, you must have read about it.

Grid Computing is certainly different from Cloud Computing. Like the utility grid that brings electricity to our houses, the computers in a Grid make contributions to a joint computing effort by providing their unused computing resources, especially when they are idle. The result is an aggregate of computing power that can be used to work on extremely complex mathematical computations, for example.

The term Cloud Computing is derived from the way people usually depict the Internet in a diagram: The cloud picture is used to hide the complexity of the Internet. We generally have no control over how the cloud operates, much like we have no control over the clouds that hang over Jakarta.

Cloud Computing signifies the next step in how we use applications. In the early days, all the software resided on our individual PCs. It might have been stored on a floppy diskette, a hard disk, or a CD-ROM.

The next wave was the client-server configuration. While some of the software still resided on client computers, the rest was stored on a server somewhere in a Local Area Network (LAN) that was installed in our companies.

Then we had the Software as a Service (SaaS) model of computing. This was made possible by the huge improvements in network infrastructure -- especially the Internet -- and the security of connection.

In the SaaS model, software is accessed only when needed. So, unlike the old model that required us to pay for a piece of software, whether we used it or not, we just had to pay for the software usage (like taking a taxi; you only pay based on how many miles the cab takes you). Because no or very little upfront investment is needed, the cost savings the SaaS model offered was very attractive to small- and medium-sized businesses.

Later on, we began to use resources that existed somewhere on the Internet. For example, files in our hard disks could be backed up to a place on the Web. So, we were then able to upload all our work onto the Internet and when traveling overseas, for example, we could access it via a different computer.

In next to no time, other applications have emerged.

Today, the buzzword is Cloud Computing. International Data Corporation (IDC) defines it as "an emerging IT development, deployment, and delivery model, enabling real-time delivery of products, services, and solutions over the Internet".

IDC believes that Cloud Computing is gaining momentum. According to their press release dated Oct. 20, 2008; "in the next five years, *we expect* spending on IT cloud services to grow almost threefold, reaching US$42 billion by 2012."

Does Cloud Computing need a special operating system? Clearly, Microsoft thinks so. At the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference late last month, chief software architect Ray Ozzie unveiled Windows Azure, an extension of the Windows Vista and Windows Mobile for the Cloud.

Does this mean that Redmond is aiming to dominate Cloud Computing like it does with our desktops and notebook PCs? Most likely. However, other big players such as IBM, Amazon and Google are also competing for a space in the cloud.

At any rate, Cloud Computing is the next tier of computing where new opportunities present themselves. Everything is still a bit fuzzy, and the borders between Cloud Computing and SaaS are bound to remain blurry. However, an interesting aspect is the legal framework for offering services, products and solutions from the Cloud.

Indra Sosrodjojo, director of Andal Software -- one of the leading software developers in Indonesia -- said he believed in the new model of service delivery. Unfortunately, he added, our legal infrastructure was not ready for it.

"I am committed to the compliance with all the tax regulations, but our tax system does not support the model," Indra said.

Perhaps this is another example of how slow-changing regulatory framework proves to be an obstacle as the industry moves to the next wave. -- Zatni Arbi (jakarta post)

IBM tries to bring brain power to computers

BM Research wants to bring the brain's processing power to computers, making it possible for PCs to process vast amounts of data in real time.

Agam Shah (IDG News Service) 21/11/2008 07:31:00

IBM Research on Thursday uncovered work it is doing to bring the brain's processing power to computers, in an effort to make it easier for PCs to process vast amounts of data in real time.

The researchers want to put brain-related senses like perception and interaction into hardware and software so that computers are able to process and understand the data quicker while consuming less power, said Dharmendra Modha, a researcher at IBM. The researchers are bringing the neuroscience, nanotechnology and supercomputing fields together in an effort to create the new computing platform, he said.

The goal is to create machines that are mind-like and adapt to changes, which could allow companies to find more value in their data. Right now, a majority of information's value is lost, but relevant data can allow businesses or individuals to make rapid decisions in time to have significant impact, he said.

"If we could design computers that could be in real-world environments and sense and respond in an intelligent way, it would be a tremendous step forward," Modha said.

There is a problem in the core philosophy of computing and a new approach is needed, Modha said. Today's model first defines objectives to solve problems, after which algorithms are built to achieve those objectives.

"The brain is the opposite. It starts with an existing algorithm and then problems [are] second. It is a computing platform that can address a wide variety of problems," Modha said.

For example, the new approach could help efficiently manage the world's water supplies through real-time analysis of data that could help discover new patterns, Modha said. A network of sensors could monitor temperature, pressure, wave height and ocean tide across the oceans. "Imagine streaming this data to a global brain that discovers invariant patterns and associations that no algorithms of today can do," Modha said.

It will also be able to sense the world's markets, like stocks, bonds and real estate, extracting patterns and associations in the way the brain extracts information from those environments.

The research is not about concrete applications yet, but about understanding what the brain does and its implementation in computing, Modha said. The research includes work on nanotechnology, which has made it feasible to realize the brain function in cognitive computing chips that rival the low-power and small space of the brain, Modha said. Neuroscience has also matured, and supercomputing technology has progressed enough for IBM to undertake large-scale simulations to test a wide variety of hypotheses.

It's a long and arduous research project that may lead to a number of technological breakthroughs, Modha said. He didn't provide a timeline for implementation of the platform.

If the company succeeds in making this platform, it will lead to an entirely new computer architecture and programming paradigm that could overwrite the traditional ways of computing, Modha said.

For the research IBM is working with the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency and universities including Stanford, University of Wisconsin in Madison, Cornell, Columbia University Medical Center and University of California at Merced.

(from: PCword)

MEMBUAT BLOG DI MICROSOFT WORD

(PC PLUS Kamis, 26 Juni 2008 | 08:54 WIB)

Microsoft Word bisa dipakai sebagai aplikasi untuk menulis di salah satu layanan blog gratis Blogger. Hanya saja, sebuah peranti lunak tambahan dibutuhkan. Peranti itu bernama Blogger for Word.

Salah satu penyedia layanan untuk membuat blog secara gratis adalah Blogger. Situs web yang telah diambil alih oleh Google ini dapat diakses di alamat www.blogger.com. Di situ, Anda tinggal mendaftar. Seselainya pendaftaran, Anda bisa langsung membuat blog, bikin tulisan, dan “menerbitkannya”.

Untuk pendaftaran, Anda memang harus online. Tapi, untuk menulis, Anda tidak perlu online supaya bisa menghemat biaya berinternet. Cara yang paling sederhana adalah dengan menulis blog dulu di penyunting teks, seperti Notepad atau Microsoft Word, secara offline. Kalau sudah, baru online, buka situs web layanan blog, login, lalu copy-paste hasil tulisan yang ada di penyunting teks.

Kita sebut cara yang barusan disebut adalah cara manual. Cara yang akan dijelaskan berikutnya kita sebut dengan cara otomatis. Tulisan tetap dibuat secara offline. Online-nya baru nanti kemudian setelah tulisan selesai dibuat.

Cara otomatis ini menggunakan Microsoft Word. Tapi, bukan sembarang Microsoft Word, melainkan Microsoft Word yang sudah dilengkapi dengan suatu add-on bernama Blogger For Word. Aplikasi tambahan gratisan itu bisa didapat dari http://buzz.blogger.com/bloggerforword.html. Ukuran paket instalasinya kecil, cuma 2MB.

Cara pemakaiannya bisa diringkas seperti ini. Setelah Blogger For Word diinstal, toolbar Blogger akan muncul pada Microsot Word. Kemudian, tuliskan isi blog seperti biasa, tapi jangan online dulu, offline saja. Kalau tulisan sudah selesai, nyalakan koneksi intenet, lalu publis deh. Nah, cara detailnya seperti berikut ini. Oh ya, PCplus pakai Word 2007 untuk artikel ini. Di versi lama mungkin berbeda, tapi sedikit saja.

1. Klik [Add-Ins] pada menu di sebelah atas. Opsi [Add-Ins] sebaris dengan [Home], [Insert], [Page Layout], dan lain-lain.

2. Klik [Blogger Settings], kemudian pada kotak yang muncul, masukkan username dan password untuk masuk ke Blogger. Klik [OK].

3. Ketikkan isi blog di dalam Word. Kalau sudah selesai, online-lah. Kemudian, klik [Publish].

4. Masukkan judul blog dan pilih blog yang akan berisi tulisan itu. Klik [Send].

5. Selesai.