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Surprising Science

Understanding the “Cloud”

Walt Mossberg provides a basic explanation of what cloud computing is, and what it might mean for us in the near future.

Walt Mossberg provides a very basic explanation of what cloud computing is, and what it might mean for us in the near future. “At its most basic level, the “cloud” is simply the Internet, or the vast array of servers around the world that comprise it. When people say a digital document is stored, or a digital task is being performed in the cloud, they mean that the file or application lives on a server you access over an Internet connection, via a Web browser or app, rather than on “local” devices, like your computer or smartphone.”


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