"Is Google Too Big?" - YES! Giving up as much personal information as Google collects is like letting someone walk through your house, looking wherever at whatever - - your entire personal life is on display. The Constitution says something about search warrants. Why should Google be given more access than any of us would tolerate if the police did that sans search warrant?

Have no doubt that eventually when interent connection are more trusted people will be moving that direction and use an online way to get things done rather than local apps. And also be assured that there will be a time when a computer will not be a computer but only a gateway with little or no need to tinker with the little box.

Why do I see it this way?

If someone put you in the middle of the wildereness could you survive? Can you make your own fire?

We always keep moving forward until the control is dependent on something else other than rubbing two sticks together.

So when you connection is lost I guess you just sit there and hope for the best and wish you had the older way to get things done...here....now.

You will be the old man telling young kids how much better things were in your day.
I'll stick to using apps on my local machine and the rest can sit on there hands when productivity fails.

Cloud computing is coming. Drag your feet and be part of the spectators, or get your feet wet and find out what it's all about. I've been using web apps exclusively for over two years. I've had zero problems. I do back things up at home, but that's because I live in southeast Florida and might need to bail with the Iomega, cat and car keys for a hurricane evacuation. The drive image and files on the portable HDD would let me get back to (more or less) normal on any computer, even without a connection.

I'm always amused by people who are concerned about security of their documents when stored on outside servers.

Googles servers are incomparably safer than most home PCs. I would rather trust my "stuff" to professionals whose sole business is storing and protecting data than to most of my correspondents with whom I share it. The only 100% safe data is strong-encrypted data with at least a 128-bit key, and you forgot the password. If it's on your computer it's vulnerable, and if it's connected to the Web it's moreso.

We also have to consider survivability. I prefer Google to some other outfit that doesn't have 200,000 interconnected servers in seven centers, and is based in Micronesia. I figure the Big G will be around for a while.

Folks who kvetch about Google and the other web storage folks will download files from peer-sharing services with no compunctions whatever. They will open mail from "safe" correspondents, forgetting that their correspondents may have no conception of security and Net safety whatever. They forget that N.S.A. and the other government organizations can have you if they want you. They send emails in the clear, SMS, unencrypted IMs (Extra points: what's the only IM client that allows encryption?) and post intimate personal information on MySpace and Facebook.

What security?

Being on the Web is like unprotected sex: you're only as safe as the previous partners of your partner. If data security is a deal with you, encrypt it and send it only to people who are equipped to decrypt it. (Be careful how you handle your keys, though!) As to home computers, they're only as secure as your front door and windows. If you don't have encryption -- properly enabled and implemented -- you're wide open.

Wake up...it's the 21st Century. And, in case you think I'm some wide-eyed noobie, I'm a 63-year-old ex-cop (and other things) who knows quite a bit about security of all kinds, and I've been online since connections were 24 baud.