BitCasa: Cloud=your hard drive, Your hard drive=local cache...

[Porcini M.]

The cloud is now your hard drive. And not just a few dozen Gigabytes, Terabytes or even Petabytes, but all of it – infinite storage – for only $10 per month. This is the incredible promise of the new TechCrunch Disrupt finalist Bitcasa...

http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/12/with-bitcasa-the-entire-cloud-is-your-hard-drive-for-only-10-per-month/

Interesting concept, but I don't see where the "infinite" part comes in (there's the data deduplication across multiple users, but that's doesn't make storage infinite).

[NovaAesa]

By infinite I think they mean you can put as much data on there as you wish. I bet there is a "fair use" clause though... What's to stop some jerk with a random number generator filling up their cloud as fast as their upload speed will allow?

[IWantFroyo]

I like my hard drive because I can use it even when I don't have internet, which is to say, anywhere I actually take it.

It's an interesting concept, but I can't see many people using it, unless they have a huge amount of music or video. Even so, you can just stream those.

[Nyromith]

As with almost any cloud technology - wish them a bitter failure. Cloud storage is legitimate only as a back-up technology or easy transfer of small files.
Stay away from those evil bastards who try to steal your right for local storage. Behind every technology stands a greedy corporation that has plans for your data.

[Paqman]

Stay away from those evil bastards who try to steal your right for local storage.

Last time I checked, signing up to this was voluntary :rolleyes: Nobody is trying to steal anything.

This kind of service is probably the way we'll all end up going for portable devices in a few years time. Once connections are ubiquitous and fast and we all have ridiculous amounts of data we want access to then a central repository for it makes sense. You can either run your own NAS or use services like this. The majority of people will do the latter, geeks will do the former.

[BeRoot ReBoot]

Last time I checked, signing up to this was voluntary :rolleyes: Nobody is trying to steal anything.

They are stealing the freedom of every user they manage to con into careless ("cloud") computing.

[LowSky]

As for cloud computing being a way to data mine and rob people, what the hell do you keep that is so valuable? Did you invent an algorithm one could use to decipher any password it wishes and now you keep in under encrypted key? I always find this intriguing when people assume corporations are evil. Corporations are not evil, people are.

Cloud computing is just like buying a storage locker. What freedoms do you lose buying one of those?

And what freedom are they stealing? Just name one? Speech? Religion? Property? Liberty? To Bear Arms? The right to an attorney? To vote? WHAT?

[drawkcab]

Unfortunately one of the implications of freedom itself is that people are free to do stupid things up to and including sacrificing their freedom. That said, I don't think using cloud services means you are giving up your freedom or anything like that. The risks seem to involve privacy and potential loss of data. Cloud services have their uses but, like anything else, it is primarily up to the consumer to be aware of and accept the risks. Caveat Emptor!

[Paqman]

They are stealing the freedom of every user they manage to con into careless ("cloud") computing.

Lol, no they aren't. Don't be so hysterical. It's a service people can use if they choose.

If someone chooses to give up a freedom that's their business. That may bug you if it's a freedom you value highly, but not everyone shares your values.

Exchanging freedoms for security or services is the basic concept that underpins civilisation. The trick is to make sure you're retaining the ones that really count. Using a cloud service or not isn't going to make one bit of difference either way IMO. I don't see what genuinely important freedom is at stake.

[reyfer]

Exchanging freedoms for security or services is the basic concept that underpins civilisation. The trick is to make sure you're retaining the ones that really count.
So how about this?


Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

[Paqman]

So how about this?

He's talking about essential liberties, like the right to a fair trial, or to not be arrested and tortured for your political views. He's not talking about your collection of lolcats.

Sometimes giving up a freedom is a good deal. For instance, accepting the rule of law brings safety and stability. You give up your freedom to plant an axe in your neighbour's face because you don't like the way he looks at you, and in return you expect to be safe from him doing the same. There's a tension between freedom and security, it's a balancing act. As I said before, some freedoms are much more important than others.

In the case of cloud computing I agree with the posters above. There are possible privacy and security issues, but the concept is perfectly sound as long as it's implemented properly.

[Porcini M.]

The article says that the data is pre-encrypted on the client side before being uploaded:


When you save a file, Bitcasa writes those 1′s and 0′s to its server-side infrastructure in the cloud. It doesn’t know anything about the file itself, really. It doesn’t see the file’s title or know its contents. It doesn’t know who wrote the file. And because the data is encrypted on the client side, Bitcasa doesn’t even know what it’s storing.

[reyfer]

I'm still not convinced. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I use my cell phone to, you know, make calls? and if I want to listen to some music the phone has enough memory in it to carry my favorites....To me personally, there's no need to have zillions of music, if I'm traveling I like to enjoy the travel, the sights, and I enjoy having my files in my HD at home

[LMP900]

This is the service I've been waiting for. It sounds promising and will definitely sign-up at that price - only if they provide support for all platforms. I frequently switch desktop and mobile platforms and this would prevent a lot of headaches (although it has the potential to create new headaches as well).