>It is my personal interpretation that your statement is exactly what Messrs. Ballmer, Gates, etc. (who invented the word in that usage sense) want everyone to think but what they really mean by "the cloud" is Microsoft owned, controlled and operated services.

Actually, thats not what they mean at all. Cloud = Web = Net = Internet. Its just a modernized meaning for web. Imagine when teh INteret was starting, and there were links every where, it looks like one giant web/net. Now that the interet is so huge, its the same net, only with so much more links, its a big blurry picture these days that somewhat resembles a cloud.

>Their words let it sound like they mean the internet in general, but the things that they are describing suggest most strongly that MS will be in control of it all. When it comes about they will be able to say they lied to no one with conviction and be truthful in saying so. But they will also be able to say that they surely did not hide this from anyone, and that it was all there for anyone to see right from the beginning.

Where are you getting this stuff?