Google App Engine
If you keep up with the web related tech news daily, you’ve likely read a few articles and blogs about Google’s App Engine announcement. The idea is not unlike Amazon’s array of web services or other “cloud computing” platforms.
Earlier today I was trying to explain my hesitation toward these services to a friend. The idea is great, the price is great, the technology is “cutting edge.” So why not use it? My earlier response wasn’t as succinct as I would have liked, but just now I skimmed through Read/Write Web’s writeup on App Engine. Marshall Kirkpatrick summed up the concern better than I did:
It’s very, very important that there be no barriers to leaving App Engine and that the service retains customers based on price and superior service. Anything else, any lock-in, will drive a stake through the heart of innovation.
Cloud computing is a great concept, and as a web developer it has great appeal (listed earlier). However, the risks of lock-in and restricted data access mean that innovation, creativity, and privacy all depend on the whims, desires, and ideas of large companies who may or may not keep my best interest at heart.