"Nice write-up about your move to cloud computing and how it has benefitted you. Many of the commentors raise valid concerns about the concept, but I think that we will see these issues resolve themselves as cloud computing matures. I like your banking analogy to compare keeping your data on your desktop to storing it in the cloud. Nonetheless, thisisalloneword, makes a good point and I would advocate backing your data up locally whenever possible. (Unfortunately, with banking, this same strategy – making copies of your money – isn’t legal .) I don’t completely agree with your conclusion that cloud computing can replace your own hardware (PC, Mac, iPhone, etc.). For at least the foreseeable future, there are going to be some applications that just don’t make sense to put in the cloud. You also need some kind of device to actually access the cloud. However, the cloud will be changing many our computer-usage habits. Two of the most important benefits for desktop users, as you point out,..." - Ethan Bauley