The Cloud and Our HDD's

Hypothetical question: will we need HDD’s larger than 10 gigabytes on laptops within the next ten years?

Lets look at both possible answers.

Yes, of course programs are growing to be large, complex systems of files, flashy screen transitions, and processor sucking workhorses. Games are growing in requirements, size, and detail. It is not uncommon to see today’s PC games require 15gigs of space, minimum of 2gigs ram, and a 2.4 or above mghz processor. As games and software climb the never-ending ladder of Moore’s law, so do the laptops needed for today’s portable power user.

But what if all of your software, music, and games were online? What If you did not need all that anti-green space on your battery-using hdd? Soon, this may be a reality.

For those of you who do not now, A large integrated system of servers keeps the internet going. As companies grow, accounts get larger, and this means more space for us. The cloud is the idea of having no files on your own drive, instead, they are stored on various servers which hold your documents and settings.

The cloud has already begun. Online software today exists for every purpose. Need to listen to some music? Pandora.com is a free internet radio service that selects music based off aritst you like, or you could build your own playlist of artist at projectplaylist.com. Forgot to edit that last TPS report paragraph on your homework? Use an online text editor like GoogleDocs, or Zoho office suite. Both of them cover all of the basic needs of text editors, save drafts, and keeps all completed works online. Plus, they are not slow or laggy, so that homework can be turned in on time.

These possibilities are here for our use at our own disposal, and it’s all free to use. So could there be less than 10gigs on laptop HDD’s in the next five, ten, or even twenty years? Probably not. There are still hardcore enthusiast out there, businessmen who need secure space for their own files, and the cautious user. The cloud is a good alternative, but not ready to be used by the mainstream computer user.

But then again, Who knows? I could be wrong. Ten years from now, maybe even five, four, or two, we could all be up in the clouds.