豆知识 2011-03-20&03-26 云计算现状

 Ah, the virtual world. Sure it has changed the way we do things, dramatically. The Internet is giving us, well, freedom. It’s now easier than ever to stay in touch with friends the world over. With new ways of storing and organizing data, our stuff is always within an arm’s reach. Aspiring¹ filmmakers and pet owners alike have the ability to share their creativity and entertain us all. We can educate ourselves and each other about almost anything from almost anywhere. 

J.C.R. Licklider dreamed up the idea of intergalactic computer network almost 50 years ago. But it wasn’t until the rise of the Internet that such things were able to really take shape. He was talking about cloud computing², and we’re finally on the cast of its golden age. 

In the late 90s, companies began taking their software out of the box and then into the cloud. Since then cloud computing has come a long way. The help from a variety of players, companies like Amazon continue to redefine what’s possible in the cloud.  

With web 2.0 becoming an integral part of all our online lives, the cloud’s adoption³ continues to grow. Every day more businesses of all shapes and sizes are joining in the cloud. Unless you have been living under the rock, you are in the cloud. Every time you check your email online, you are in the cloud. Every time you tend to your crops, you are in the cloud. Every time you share your thoughts, you are in the cloud.

How else are we using the cloud? Well, besides email and catching⁴ up with friends, we’re storing and editing photos, reading documents, backing up our stuff, sharing videos, and doing it all from practically anywhere. There are an ever growing number of applications delivered through the cloud called Software as a Service or SaaS. And a multitude of apps have been built in the cloud using PaaS or Platform as a Services. Working together, they bring us an internet-based computer, allowing freedom and mobility⁵ like never before. 

As cloud computing continues to grow, so it’s run more what’s possible. You’re living in an exciting time. So let’s embrace the freedom the cloud computing gives us, and let’s use it to free our minds and discover what’s to come, shall we?

1 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

2 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

3 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

4 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

5 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。