While one accepts that the cloud is here to stay, whether Mesh or Google\s Web 2.0 offerings, there are certain issues that need to be addressed that are as important as the technical ones (which i am still working on). So just to kick off a discussion some questions.

1. we know Mesh will sync data to your local device giving you control over your information, which is a legal necessity most places. Can't go to the IRS and say it rained and the cloud washed away my data :-) so will all cloud based information have this local mirror capability.

2. In most countries ISPs are now obliged to hand over client information if asked by the authorities under certain anti terrorist and other national security provisions. Would this apply to business and other info held in the cloud. Is the cloud the same as an ISP legally ?

3. we talk of broadband but it is a joke still in 80% of the world (because even existing "broadband" speed at the normal user level is not more than 256 Kbps. Higher speed lines have download limits and extra charges and end up being too expensive for individual and even SMB use. So how viable would it be to work with 50-100 MB autocad and other image files, all coming off the internet.?

4. In my ongoing battle for the groove way of doing things, the ability to access your data locally is a very big factor, (see 3 above). But along with groove also came security in the manner in which groove packages and stores (hides) data on the Disk. The native file name does not exist on disk and really cannot be hacked. Mesh as of now, and most other systems too, are simply copying files (open) to local store when requested. Along with anonymous location (the cloud) can we also have a standard for an anonymous storage format.

5. has anyone looked at the encryption aspects of feedsync, or is that another layer to be added by users / developers ?

Hi everyone

sorry for a late start after creating this blog - needed to get the wheels spinning a bit.

why my technical blog, on an asp.net site - ASP is not really my speciality (at the moment that is Groove Virtual Office). I post on that subject here http://ashokhingorani.blogspot.com/

This blog is about something specific - new developments ideally - mostly related to Mesh like architecture - though none of us will really be using Mesh itself till after the October release - no teasers no betas - how boring. What i loved about Groove was that we partners were invited to jump in with both feet and really contribute to the development.

but these are early days for Mesh like computing - i say mesh like because there are other products out there (some open source) all basically built around the FeedSync engine which is itself public).

So the means to deliver Mesh like computing are going to be many - as are going to be the front ends, like Ajax (advt on this site) or Silverlight - or a bit of our own interface ideas based on one of these technologies - probably will try silverlight.

Would expect to find parallel thinking among the members here because ASP architectures are also going to have to evolve and i might have a few ideas to bounce off the experts here.

I will get a look and feel of this blog over the next few postings and figure out the best way to share some of these thougts - probably be attatchment for the longer stuff - best to keep this area down to Q&A / discussion type content.

bst rgds