So I recently read some articles on how a lot of experts speculate that the future of software is about the change. I think the biggest rumor on this relates to Google and their entry into the online software concept with a competitor to Microsoft Office.
To summarize, Google offering an Operating System, or something similar to Office, that runs online instead of being installed on you computer is a concpet that a lot of people believe is the future of computing. Why bog down your own computer with software and files when GDrive can take care of it for you. Its less risky if your computer crashes and you can access any file you need to from any computer. With high speed Internet access a norm, uploading and downloading is no longer a limitation.
Seems to make sense doesn’t it? But wait, is that the best situation for us? Consider the recent Federal probe into search engine data where Google recently rejected a request from the government to provide a large amount of data that it has on its users (you and me). The outcome is still being decided but its most likely not the last we’ll see of this.
So put the two together. Its 4 years from now, your computer is basically a dummy terminal that connects to the Internet for all of its computing logic. Its OS, programs and even your files are stored in cyberspace. How easy is it then for someone to gain access to your personal files with a court order? Not that there’s anything to hide but how do you feel about someone coming into your house today and turning on your computer to see what’s on there? Its essentially the same thing but when you don’t physically own the files, its a lot easier for someone else to access them with (or without) your knowledge. Unplug your Internet connection and you’ve prevented anyone from accessing anything on your computer without physically possessing the computer itself (or just turn it off). That little bit of security is important and its lost if we no longer store files locally.
Something to consider. I’m not stating that moving in this direction is bad, there are a lot of great reasons why its better but its important to consider all of the items.