f3yourmind » cloud computing

Are you coming to OOPSLA?

Aslam — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:28:56 +0000

In a couple of weeks I will be at the OOPSLA conference in Orlando, USA. I am absolute OOPSLA nOOb but am already excited about it. I’ve heard lots of nice things from the OOPSLA “veterans” at factor10 and now I can’t really wait to get there.

I will be giving a tutorial on using AOP to solve some domain problems, not just removing the infrastructural noise from your domain models. Also, I’ve been invited to be part of a panel on my best-loved-hated subject … modularity. I will also take part in the Cloud Computing Design workshop.

There’s also an amazing line up for the other tutorials and OOPSLA still has a “Pay for 3 and attend 4″ promotion going on. Take advantage of it. If you already signed up for 3, then just sign up for the 4th. If you’ve signed up for 2, then pay for the third and register for the 4th too.

So much happening in just a short week. But, it will be lot’s of fun and worth the 24 hour travel time from Cape Town.

Stranger Danger in the Cloud

Aslam — Wed, 06 May 2009 10:12:17 +0000

There will always be someone who will scream that Cloud Computing is new. And there’s someone else that will tell you it’s old-school-been-there-done-that. And there will always be some vendor that will try to sell something too.

Since we shrink in body and mind to the state of children when thrown into a new context, beware of stranger danger. It’s tempting to follow strangers for cheap candy in the cloud.

And yes, like SOA, we’ve seen and done this before. But I think it is important that we let the passage of time to gel our experiences and ideas over and over again. Why? Because contexts change with time and we can use new contexts to innovate again and again and again.

You’re allowed to think … for yourself … and decide … for yourself.

Cloud Computing Zen

Aslam — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:59:32 +0000

I’ve been thinking about Cloud Computing over the past few weeks. And the business of Chunk Cloud Computing makes me feel more comfortable than the various “definitions” for cloud computing that is out there.

It amazes me that we, as an industry, find it so hard to converge on common ideas. So, I’ve tried to formulate my own understanding of cloud computing.

I think it is …

a very scalable hardware platform that you share but don’t own
an infrastructure service that you use but never maintain
a computation environment that scales when you scale
data storage that is distributed but consistent
about writing applications that wire up highly cohesive, loosely coupled chunks
about freedom to choose and change but with greater responsibility and consequences

The last point was enlightening for me. For sure, some vendor will pitch the “Lower your future running costs” line. But I think Future Running Costs = Zero. You never plan for the future but only for what you need right now.

Wow! that is so Zenful. Cloud Computing is about living in the moment, all the time.