The New York Times had an interesting article about Google’s seemingly overblown response to Microsoft’s bid on Yahoo!.

Even more interesting to me is the mention of Microsoft’s shift to online applications. I’ve heard of this a lot lately, Adobe is supposedly heading in that direction as well. The idea that applications will exist on a server somewhere instead of on your computer is good in that you can access that program and those documents from anywhere in the world, regardless of where your computer is. I wonder how this affects performance, though. It would be cool if they used a cluster’s processor power, so you could do intensive graphics work on a tablet while waiting for the bus. I can’t wait until that’s the norm, and we all have access to unlimited processor power (which is where many people believe the internet is inevitably leading, one big cluster)

Ultimately though, I’m a bit too paranoid to trust online only programs at this point. My internet’s a bit spotty anyway and I’m perfectly happy keeping all my documents and applications on a jump drive, giving me access wherever I am as long as a computer’s nearby. I’m sure it’ll get more and more popular, until it’s so common we don’t even think about it, just like with computers and then the internet. Technology will have to make a few jumps until then, for instance there are still parts of the US where you can’t get cell phone coverage or broadband internet. Until that’s rectified a new online-only standard isn’t really feasible. When the country’s ready maybe I will be too.