[ Thanks to Kevin
Reichard for this link. ]
“All the computer world’s atwitter over the arrival of the ASP
(Application Server Provider) technology and business model. This
is the shiny new way we’ll all compute in the near future, some
pundits and analysts (and, least surprising of all, some vendors)
would have us believe. After all, why endure the seemingly infinite
hassle and expense of maintaining desktop computers, whether it’s
just your family PC in the rec. room, or thousands of corporate
desktops? In The Age of The Fat Pipe there’s no reason to keep all
that software on your desktop or (horrors!) on your laptop.”
“But there’s at least one troubling aspects to the rise of ASP’s
that I haven’t seen mentioned, particularly in light of Microsoft’s
intention to “.Net” their entire company and product line. The
issue is simply: How much will your ASP spy on what you’re doing,
and how will they use their knowledge of what you’re doing?”
“Before you brand me as yet another paranoid fruitloop with
a net connection, let’s consider the possibilities in light of some
of the things we’re already seeing companies do in other corners of
the industry…”