Ok, I've said it before and I'll say it again.. this whole cloud computing concept at least as it is currently playing out is a really bad idea!
Now, if you or your own company hosts it's own web services then this whole issue is moot. You can always edit the javascript on your own server.
For all of these desktop wanabe web apps which are hosted by third parties however it shouldn't matter how free (as in speech) they are because they shouldn't be taken so seriously. It's like a toy. If you want to write a letter to grandma thanking her for the Christmas cookies using Google or Mickeysoft or Yahoo's web based word processor then go for it. Who cares if you can edit the source? What feature would you need to change or add? But entering company documents, personal financial information or anything of any significance into a third party website? That is just a stupid thing to do. No matter how "not evil" said company is today tomorrow there could be a change of leadership. They could sell your info to an advertisor or worse, to a competitor. They could even branch into a new market and become the competitor. Or.. they may remain good intentioned but just get cracked.
Even if you're not in a position where you handle sensative documents on a day to day basis it's what you use regularly that you will be most familiar and comfortable with. Personally if I was managing anyone who I caught using a web based word processor for a company document I would fire them on the spot. And do people really want to learn two sets of office suites, one for work and one for home? I don't think most people really want to learn one. It would be much better to just install an office suite on each computer one uses and get a USB stick. If it warrants it then a company could set up their own web application suite on their own secure server with their own ssl key but again, if they do that then they can alter their javascript and use it too.
Slashdot Mirror
Ok, I've said it before and I'll say it again.. this whole cloud computing concept at least as it is currently playing out is a really bad idea!
Now, if you or your own company hosts it's own web services then this whole issue is moot. You can always edit the javascript on your own server.
For all of these desktop wanabe web apps which are hosted by third parties however it shouldn't matter how free (as in speech) they are because they shouldn't be taken so seriously. It's like a toy. If you want to write a letter to grandma thanking her for the Christmas cookies using Google or Mickeysoft or Yahoo's web based word processor then go for it. Who cares if you can edit the source? What feature would you need to change or add? But entering company documents, personal financial information or anything of any significance into a third party website? That is just a stupid thing to do. No matter how "not evil" said company is today tomorrow there could be a change of leadership. They could sell your info to an advertisor or worse, to a competitor. They could even branch into a new market and become the competitor. Or.. they may remain good intentioned but just get cracked.
Even if you're not in a position where you handle sensative documents on a day to day basis it's what you use regularly that you will be most familiar and comfortable with. Personally if I was managing anyone who I caught using a web based word processor for a company document I would fire them on the spot. And do people really want to learn two sets of office suites, one for work and one for home? I don't think most people really want to learn one. It would be much better to just install an office suite on each computer one uses and get a USB stick. If it warrants it then a company could set up their own web application suite on their own secure server with their own ssl key but again, if they do that then they can alter their javascript and use it too.