DotDolfin Storehouse

A public collection of useful tidbits by Michael Rees

Working in The Cloud

Recommended cloud applications for personal, real-time, social, web, documents, media, specialist, software development
Presentations: BarCampGC slidecast, video
Surveys: General Survey

The Working in The Cloud concept in a nutshell:

Conduct day-to-day computing tasks completely online at zero or near-zero cost using only a web browser.

In more detail working in the cloud is taken to mean:

  • for day-to-day information tasks all documents and the applications to manage them are Web 2.0 services (the cloud) accessed via a web browser connected to the Internet
  • the cloud documents and applications can be used from common, multiple operating system and browser installs (platforms)
  • low-end, thin-client hardware such as netbooks and smartphones can be used to work in the cloud, with screen and keyboard size possibly introducing limitations
  • client-side browser extensions, client desktop applications and local storage can bring benefits but are regarded as optional

Freeing the user from the financial and time costs of expensive local workstations and complex desktop software configurations is achievable only if a set of prerequisites pertain:

  • suitable Web 2.0 applications and data storage exist
  • security and reliability at a minimum acceptable level is provided by the Web 2.0 applications and data backups are performed
  • reliable Internet connection above a minimum bandwidth is available

Given the prerequisites users can perform their normal tasks on any commonly available machine at their places of work, meetings, homes and remote locations.

The working in the cloud concepts described above are encapsulated in a series of ongoing trials called the Information Work Online Experiment (InfoWOE). Outcomes are reported from time in a series of blog posts. The current set of recommended InfoWOE applications have all been used by the author. Links to InfoWOE application categories appear at the top of this page and below:

Written by Michael Rees

12 April 2009 at 16:08

One Response

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  1. [...] my slides. Following up this good idea I have put together a more permanent home for my approach to working in the cloud. Associated with this is a more detailed and structured list of my recommended cloud applications. [...]

    List of Cloud Applications « Impressions Scholarcast

    15 April 2009 at 17:19


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