Jenkins: Plan for the worst when using clouds

The movement toward so-called cloud- or Internet-based services keeps gaining momentum. Google has announced an initiative for enterprise use that focuses on its Google App Engine. While this sounds very mysterious and exotic, the bottom line is that Google, Microsoft and other companies are trying to get a foothold by providing more services that can be used on a Web browser.

Cloud computing has a lot to offer, but there are also some major problems. Probably the most serious is the need for a local backup of any data that is stored online.

Another nagging problem is privacy and security. The more you store your information online, the greater the possibility that someone can steal it and use it against you.

So, as we all begin to use these cloud-based services, it would be wise to plan for the worst and hope for the best by being cautious and watchful. This includes when using sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

n Online research is one of the most useful tools we have at our disposal. Check out the archives at the Times Free Press site timesfreepress.com. You can easily search articles by topic in any timeframe.

n One of my favorite new sites is www.posterous.com. It basically allows you to build a blog or Web site via e-mail. I recently received an e-mail from its management that informed me it will be adding even more premium features over time. Take a look at it if you need a quick, easy and possibly temporary Web site or blog.

n One of my favorite sites online for finding unexpected goodies is www.lifehacker.com. It’s hard to categorize this site, as it covers so many different topics. For example, a recent visit revealed plans to build a $20 desk, an e-mail add-on for Microsoft Outlook, and so on. I love the randomness of this site and highly recommend it.

n A reader recently asked me to recommend a simple program to use to develop applications without having to learn a programming language. Here are a few suggestions:

SwishMax 2 is a great approach to this, providing you don’t mind doing some study. It is simple, but not really easy. This program allows you to create Flash applications and so-called exe files. Flash is the format used to stream animations and videos online. An exe file allows you to simply double click it to run the program it contains.

Runtime Revolution is another powerful program creator, and one that also will require some study. Its greatest feature is its scripting ability, which is a kind of recipe builder for programming.

Another is Autoplay Media Studio. It was originally designed to develop programs to distribute on CD-Roms, but it will work generally for any medium now.

Finally there are many online approaches to this problem. Popfly allows you to create mashups, programs that combine two or more separate entities, and Sprout claims to be a full-featured Flash generator. Yahoo Pipes allows great flexibility in mashups as well.

n Finally from time to time I’d like to recommend books and documentaries on tech subjects I find valuable. Today’s suggestion is “Empire Of The Air,” the book and PBS documentary that chronicles the creation and history of radio. The story of its three primary characters could rival a good soap opera.

See you next week.