07 Jan 2009
Salesforce.com outage exposes cloud's dark linings

Why do we insist on constantly attempting to get back to some analog of the days when computers were kept in huge rooms tended by IT priests and were accessed using dumb terminals? That's all "cloud computing" really is: a return to the "mainframe" - without the Big Iron. And it will inevitably suffer from all the problems that made personal computing so attractive in the first place!

Exposing the dark side of cloud computing, Salesforce.com suffered an outage that locked more than 900,000 subscribers out of crucial applications and data needed to transact business with customers.

(link) [The Register]

18:33 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

A Peek At DHS's Files On You

They've got no file on me: I haven't flown since 1998, and certainly don't plan on starting now.

We've known for a while that the Department of Homeland Security was collecting travel records on those who cross US borders, but now you can see it for yourself. A Freedom of Information Act request got this blogger a look at DHS's file on his travels. Pretty comprehensive — all the way down to the IP address of the host he used to make a reservation.

(link) [Slashdot]

18:32 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link