What “web 2.0″ really means — and why “web 3.0″ will never come
Diego Doval, CTO of Ning, tries to differentiate useful labels from purely marketing hype. “We did (and still do) describe Web 2.0 by its attributes, rather than its essence. Perhaps Web 2.0 is defined by heavy use of AJAX, or the Web As A Platform, or Hackability, or The Long Tail, or even the combination of those things and more. But all of those are features, or technologies, and they don’t really define what web 2.0 is–anymore than having GPS and satellite radio, or a hybrid engine, on a car makes it ‘Car 2.0.’ At least not to me.”

Why Facebook is good for you
New Scientist’s Michael Marshall cites several studies linking online activities with their effects on health. “That could be because using the internet and social networking sites actually appears to reduce loneliness and improve well-being, as was reported as long ago as 2002 in the Journal of Social Issues. People who have difficulties with conventional socialising, such as those with Asperger’s syndrome, experience great benefits.”

Will cloud computing change how IT works today?
Steven Warren of TechRepublic ponders the economy’s impact on IT backbones. “They don’t want to deal with the cooling power costs and the upgrading and maintaining the infrastructure. They want to outsource all of that and just own the data and simply plug it in to an existing cloud infrastructure like we plug a light into a socket. And when we are done, we can either turn off the light or, better yet, pull the plug and find a better socket or vendor. So basically, we can move to any vendor who handles the infrastructure, but we always own the most vital part: the data.”

Does cloud computing eliminate complexity?
A few cloud computing players are hyping up their services as a way to decrease complexity, says William Hurley of InfoWorld who thinks it’s otherwise. “Let’s look at historical examples. Tivoli Systems didn’t eliminate the complexity of the sneaker net. They simply transferred it to a larger software framework. Likewise, it could be argued that VMware didn’t eliminate the complexity of x86 servers sprawling across a huge datacenter. They just transferred it to software, replacing server sprawl with ‘VM sprawl.’”

Cutting though the fog of cloud security
John Edwards writes about the various ways users safeguard their data in the cloud on ComputerWorld. “Corrigan [, a CTO who's looking to assert more control over his company's cloud security solution] says that comprehensive cloud security requires a holistic approach. ‘For supersecure data, start with how it’s stored and then deal with how it’s transmitted,’ he advises. ‘Manage access through some sort of two-factor authentication scheme. If you’re really concerned, you can host your own [authentication] server in-house — this guarantees that you’re in control.’”

Study: U.S. gov’t could save billions with cloud computing, open source
In another ComputerWorld article, Grant Cross features a study that promises significant federal budget savings through technology. “Over three years, the potential savings would be $3.7 billion for using open-source software, $13.3 billion for using virtualization technologies, and $6.6 billion from cloud computing or software as a service, the study said. It was published by MeriTalk, an online community about IT and public policy; Red Hat Inc., an open-source software vendor; and DLT Solutions Inc., a value-added reseller of Red Hat and other IT products.”

Group Warns of Top Web 2.0 Security Threats
On InternetNews.com, Richard Adhikari warns of threats both old and new as listed by the Secure Enterprise 2.0 Forum. “The group estimates that, together with SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting through JavaScript comprises about 60 percent of all Web site attacks. However, SQL injections are not the only type of injection flaws — the Secure Enterprise 2.0 Forum said Web 2.0 technologies are vulnerable to new types of injection attacks, including XML injection and JavaScript injection. Also, because Web 2.0 applications rely heavily on client-side code, they often perform client-side input validation which attackers can bypass, the Forum said.”

Approaching cloud standards with end-user focus only is full of fail
Lori MacVittie of DevCentral encourages a more holistic approach in setting cloud standards for true interoperability. “Without a common model, and therefore definition, around which such core activities can be defined we cannot achieve true interoperability. Unless we agree, as an industry, which components are in fact necessary to the cloud we cannot properly define the APIs or specifications necessary for a ‘few core activities’ in any meaningful, interoperable fashion.”

Cloud computing, SaaS and SOA – the universal service network
Service-oriented architecture and software-as-a-service are coming of age, and eBizQ’s Neil Ward-Dutton discusses how companies can leverage them. “Regardless of where services come from (and indeed because they will come from multiple places, creating cross-enterprise service networks), it’s increasingly the case that in order to deliver effective IT capabilities in the 21st Century, you need to understand SOA principles and build technology and management structures that really support the principles of service orientation.”

Addressing software freedom in cloud computing
In the spirit of Richard Stallman, a new generation is ready to further the cause of software freedom in the cloud computing arena, as Joe Brockmeier reports on ZDNet. “During his keynote on Saturday, Kuhn claimed that the problem of free software on personal computers had largely been solved. Most things users want to do on PCs can be done with free software (modulo some issues with hardware drivers and more specialized software). However, users are increasingly turning to Web-based software that is not only proprietary, it also removes the user’s direct control over their own data.”