cian clarke

Cloud technology is a much-hyped technology. The Cloud transcended it’s blue-chip origins in the world of corporate applications and backup solutions, permeating into the world of the consumer.

The technological ecosystem that the cloud promises will offer the next evolutionary leap in the world of computing, and it’s something I’m privileged to be a part of envisaging.
But the technology is in it’s infancy, and some issues exist both in the form of technological barriers and misguided implementations. These must first be overcome before the adoption of the cloud fulfills the lofty goals it’s evangelists promise.

The concept of the cloud is often misunderstood, but remarkably simple: a low-powered device connects to a distributed, remote, highly powerful backend which picks up the grunt of persistance and processing.

The Devices

Along with the cloud revolution come a whole host of first generation devices trying to adopt the vision. What follows is an examination of the offerings of two major manufacturers with very different perspectives.

Google’s Take

First, there’s the Google Chromebook. Google truly get the concept – with it’s integrated 3G modem, the device is intended to be always connected, and as technology develops this is becoming an achievable goal. The device has limited storage, and instead encourages users to  compose documents in Google Docs and write code on a web-based IDE like Cloud 9. Persistance is in the cloud. If I run out of battery, spill a coffee all over the device, or the device gets stolen, what’s the matter? It’s in the cloud. They get it.The execution, however, is a whole different story. The entire user interface is centered around a web browser. Think having a Google Chrome window, and nothing else. That’s essentially it, and it doesn’t work. Multi-tasking never truly feels like multi-tasking, as it’s just a list of browser tabs. It feels unintuitive and unproductive. This isn’t the answer, and an OS in a browser is a backward devolutionary step.

Apple’s Take

Apple’s equivalent answer is the Macbook Air. The device is a beautiful paper thin piece of brushed aluminium, which still manages to be lightning fast. The UI is stunning – and why wouldn’t it be, it’s the same tried and tested OS that’s been running on it’s bigger brother Macs with years. It’s an incredibly usable, productive environment.
But it’s not cloud.  The Air doesn’t fare so well in the doomsday scenario presented with the Chromebook. The Air isn’t architected to be a cloud connected device – it’s an ultra-portable with an optional add-on cloud offering, Apple’s iCloud. While this enabled some degree of cloud connectivity, the offering is segmented and not all encompassing. You can store your iWork documents in the cloud, but nothing from the more popular Office for Mac suite. 

Complimenting the Macbook Air is the iPhone and iPad. With the release of iOS5, devices can backup their content wirelessly to the cloud, access music through the cloud and sync contacts and mail, completely untethered from a computer. Having no direct access to the file system forces the user to think cloud-based storage – apps can integrate with cloud based services like Dropbox or iCloud, but not a truly on-device filesystem.

The same doesn’t apply to photos though – to access my photo stream, I have to use iPhoto, a clunky desktop image library. No access to the stream is available through the web – painful. 

The solution doesn’t feel all-encompassing – it’s segmented. Why can I get at my contacts and calendar through the web, but not my photos? Why does iCloud work so well with Apple’s own iWork suite, but does so little with anything else on my filesystem?

Potentially, this is a restriction that is intrinsic to Apple’s walled garden approach. Maybe Apple aren’t going to win this one?

The Future

So what does the future hold for the cloud?
At Feedhenry, we’re busy filling the gap for mobile by creating a cloud layer where devices can communicate and share data whatever the platform. But what does the future hold for the desktop?
In a lofty moment of idealism, I’d like to envision an open cloud future – one where platform doesn’t matter. Fanatic fanboyism becomes a thing of the past. The walled garden remains, but with a RESTful JSON API to boot.
My Mac workstation talks to my portable Chromebook using a cloud that can then sync data to all my mobile devices.

The potential is endless, but we’re limited by 3/4G signal coverage, extortionate roaming rates and the availability of truly fast broadband. As we look toward 2012, I hope that the industry as a whole can put aside petty platform battles. Instead, as we enter into this second generation of cloud connected devices, it’s time to develop a truly interconnected offering for consumers everywhere.

Having finally finished the Steve Jobs autobiography, I figured I’d share some snippets & thoughts. The book was a great insight into the origins of modern computing, and the silicon valley culture that I’m such a fan of. It was also an insight into Jobs’ life, and gives a much greater picture of who he was: A great visionary, with boundless and admirable enthusiasm, but also not a very nice human being. A thoroughly recommended read!
Most of this material is pretty spoiler-proof, it’s all been reported on by now, so if you haven’t read the book, read on.

1) The Reality Distortion Field is a valuable thing
I found this one of the most likable traits of Jobs – this acute, blind, burning confidence that the seemingly unachievable was possible. I hate to hear an engineering task isn’t possible – it often infuriates me. I’d much rather hear “Sure, we can do that – here’s what it’ll take”. The measure of a really great engineer is one who doesn’t balk at the first sight of a challenge.

2) The Reality Distortion Field Eventually Killed Jobs
This incredible phenomenon for which Steve was famed for eventually became his fatal downfall. When diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he initially refused treatment. Instead, Jobs convinced himself, despite the advise of professionals, that he could cure the disease through a natural cleansing diet. When he finally accepted treatment, the cancer had spread. I think it’s fair to conclude if Jobs had immediately accepted treatment, he may have lasted longer than 56.

3) Microsoft will never ‘get it’.
Throughout the book, there’s a recurring theme of how Microsoft never quite ‘got it’. We see a never-ending pattern of Microsoft playing catchup. They didn’t get the GUI (windows 1.0), they didn’t get the media player (zune) and they didn’t get the smartphone (WP7). Their new tablets look pretty promising, but they’re two years too late – a recurring pattern. Now, they’re trying social[1] – 4 years behind.
Watch this space? Hah.

4) Ives & Bono Shared a Pint
..or two.  The book reveals that when talks were stalling between U2 and Apple on an upcoming U2 branded iPod / advertisement deal, Ives was flown to Dublin to show Bono what they had in mind. Bono promised to collect Ives in his Maserati, and get him pissed. They did. Awesome.

5) An awful Motorola phone spurred Apple to produce the iPhone
Turns out Motorola had been given the rights to release the first phone that would connect to itunes, the ROKR. This seemed like a pretty unusual and foolish choice for Apple, and the device was a flop, but it turned Apple onto the notion that they could do better.
They did.

6) “Don’t be evil” is bullshit. 
Jobs declared as such in his  Town Hall event shortly after the launch of the iPad. I’ve always agreed.
Unlike Jobs, I’m a huge fan of Google. I can’t live without hosted Gmail, or Google Docs – apps like these embody all things cloud. But Google isn’t some open source project, it’s a company that exists to turn a profit. Profiting is intrinsically just a little bit evil. Google does this primarily through advertising, a form of business hardly the epiphany of good in the world.
In fact, as you read this post, Google is searching the inbox of my employer to try and derive suitable targeted adverts to me & my colleagues. I’m perfectly fine with that, as should you be, but it’s still pretty evil, no?

[1]http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/15/microsoft-researchs-socl-social-network-gets-a-little-more-real/

I’ve added some boilerplate to clone & play around with on my github.

For more Sencha related tidbits follow me on twitter @cianclarke

Want a job? Not just a job, but a guaranteed job? A career you really enjoy? Free recruitment holidays, and competitive pay? Computer Science. tbh.

Think Computer Science, and what do you think? Long haired, socially inept geeks? Board games, black clothes and a peculiar aversion to natural light? Heavy metal, anime and glasses? Thankfully these stereotypes couldn’t be further from the truth.
Computer Scientists are handsome, bubbling socialites,

Actually, no. That’s a lie.

Truthfully? The balance lies somewhere in the middle. The stereotypes exist, but thankfully in my experience do not make up the majority of a class.
The reality is a discipline which has seen a huge drop in intake, with a huge rise in the demand for graduates.

The typical Computer Science course has quite a low points requirement. This is a reflection of the low demand for technology courses, and bears no reflection on course content – a mistake which typically leads to high dropout rates in the first year.
Make it to the finish line, however, and expect a rather unique recruitment environment seen by no other graduate in Ireland today.

Which College?

The choice of college is hugely varied. Depending on financial circumstances, chose something within commuting distance of home, or move further afield as I did.
There are very few bad courses, just make sure the essential principles of Software Engineering are covered along with one of the major programming languages (C, C++, Java, C#).

It’s with pointing out the two distinct teaching philosophies that exist:
1) Teach as much theory & grounding as possible – cover a vast spectrum, possibly sacrificing some Industry relevance in the hope the skills acquired will allow the student to adapt.
2) Let course content be driven by industry requirements, learning to use modern and relevant technology. Often includes work experience, and leads to a highly employable graduate.

Typically, the former 1) is the approach taken by many established universities (e.g. TCD- from experience) whereas the latter 2) is the approach taken by newer universities/IT’s (UL, DCU, …). Both approaches achieve a similar result, there is no clear winner.

Aside – Trinity: The only curriculum I have first hand experience with. I chose Trinity because of it’s Dublin city center location and vibrant campus. It just so happened Trinity took a very solidly academic ((1) above) approach to teaching – I’d have preferred something industry driven. In TCD’s favor, however, not many Computer Science departments can lay claim to a Technical Oscar Winner (Dr. Anil Kokaram), a globally successful physics engine spinout (Havok) and a university known worldwide. I certainly don’t regret my choice.

What to expect?

Expect a reasonably challenging but highly engaging course, often very practical and industry focused. Expect to spend four years obtaining an honors degree course. Expect pandemic procrastination. Expect ‘oh, you do Computer Science, can you fix my emails?’. Expect late night assignment hacking and last minute exam study.

But best of all – expect a job.

Even though Ireland is in the depths of the worst recession seen since the birth of the Irish Free State, jobs are still plentiful in technology.

Let me share my experience: My primary goal when recruiting was to obtain employment in the US. The motivation to emigrate was born out of an interest in living in the US, and not financial. As a result, I initially applied for jobs on the west coast of the United States, and nowhere else.
Google expressed an initial interest, and after a series of phone interviews decided they would like me to come to Mountain View. I had reservations – the cost of me travelling to Mountain View would have been immense, and I shared this with my recruiting contact.
At this point, I learned Google were in fact willing to fly me over, all expenses paid – and that’s exactly what they did! At 22, I was flown halfway across the world, given a rental car, put up in a 4 star hotel and had all my expenses (food, fuel, tourist attractions) covered for the duration of my trip.
I later repeated this experience with a trip to Seattle. Computer Science rocks!
By the time my Final exams were approaching, the outcome of my Google interview was a disappointing no-hire, and the remainder of my US prospects were roles that simply were not for me.
I decided to turn to Ireland. I applied for 4 roles, and was called to 4 interviews. I attended 2, and received 2 job offers. Computer science rocks!

The beauty of a technology orientated degree is not only can you expect a job, but the opportunity exists to handpick a role which interests you.
If I drew up a list of technologies I wanted to work with, my current role fulfills every one.

Enjoying what you do is a unique privilege not enjoyed by many industries. If you enjoy working with technology, the web, or computers in general, choose Computer Science – you won’t regret it.