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It's not. * Shrink wrapped software (without DRM) runs on your computer, you have full control over it forever. * Subscription based software with DRM may als

by frik 11y ago

It's not. * Shrink wrapped software (without DRM) runs on your computer, you have full control over it forever. * Subscription based software with DRM may also run on your computer, but only as long as you rent it, then it stops working and you can't access your data. * Cloud service is a subscription based software that runs on someone else computer, with the same disadvantages as above. A cloud storage locks you in a software eco system/API. So it's a software and storage topic.

Dylan16807 11y ago
Shrink wrapped software locks you into an eco system. How are you supposed to get it to run, without using the right OS and support programs? Many cloud APIs are trivial. Cloud file storage has basically zero lock-in. If your argument is "don't buy subscription software", then I can agree. But "cloud" covers a lot more than that, and cloud data storage in particular, the subject of the article, has very little downside.
- frik 11y ago
  Is that so? OneCloud, DropBox, etc rely mainly on a program that runs only on specific OS versions. The API's are non-standard and do lock in you. And third party programs that break when the API changes. Or who is using such cloud storage only via web interface? We are not speaking about FTP services that were common in the DotCom bubble era, right? And eg MySpace.com originally (until 2001) used to be one of them. And there would be common API protocols like WebDAV and scp/ssh, but do Dropbox & co support them? ("OneDrive for Business", which isn't OneDrive but a branded Sharepoint, supports a limited subset of WebDAV)
  - Dylan16807 11y ago
    You can get simple API implementations for most languages, with lots of convenient translation layers that let you switch your code in seconds. They can't change APIs on a whim, that would break existing installs. Or for most of these just use standard filesystem access to your local copy.

by frik 11y ago

Dylan16807 11y ago

Shrink wrapped software locks you into an eco system. How are you supposed to get it to run, without using the right OS and support programs? Many cloud APIs are trivial. Cloud file storage has basically zero lock-in. If your argument is "don't buy subscription software", then I can agree. But "cloud" covers a lot more than that, and cloud data storage in particular, the subject of the article, has very little downside.

frik 11y ago
Is that so? OneCloud, DropBox, etc rely mainly on a program that runs only on specific OS versions. The API's are non-standard and do lock in you. And third party programs that break when the API changes. Or who is using such cloud storage only via web interface? We are not speaking about FTP services that were common in the DotCom bubble era, right? And eg MySpace.com originally (until 2001) used to be one of them. And there would be common API protocols like WebDAV and scp/ssh, but do Dropbox & co support them? ("OneDrive for Business", which isn't OneDrive but a branded Sharepoint, supports a limited subset of WebDAV)
- Dylan16807 11y ago
  You can get simple API implementations for most languages, with lots of convenient translation layers that let you switch your code in seconds. They can't change APIs on a whim, that would break existing installs. Or for most of these just use standard filesystem access to your local copy.