Holy cow. I just read the Dot story on OwnCloud. This is an *awesome* move! I really think that most people have probably missed the significance of OwnCloud. Well, it's time we took back our data and the source code of the silos holding it. All the portability and crowdsourcing ability of cloud services with the speed, privacy, customizability and integration of your favorite open source KDE apps. Freedom meets power in a way that has never been seen before.

The potential here is through the roof if implemented right. I would urge everyone to look into supporting the OwnCloud project with whatever skills / resources you have access to. If you help out with an app, ask how it could be improved with FOSS cloud abilities. Get hacking / promoting / testing / writing / sharing!

Now we have the opportunity for FOSS / open standards to take back the lead in network enabled computing just as we did with HTML. All hands on deck, we're in for a wild ride!

I just started looking into ownCloud myself, and I'm extremely excited about it! My main motivation for using ownCloud at the moment is personal file backup. Having remote backup of the multiple geographically separate computers I "administer," with full control of the data, would be terrific.

Granted, I could set this up with existing technologies, but there is a deep significance to ownCloud that draws me to it. KDE has an opportunity to truly set itself apart from all other competitors. No other project I know of has the abundance of apps, the speed, the customizability, and the thriving community that KDE has. Now, if you add in seamless access to your data, settings, and (possibly) apps from anywhere and any device, suddenly KDE takes the leap from yet-another-desktop-environment* to being a unique, portable software ecosystem. It is a bridge between static desktop computing and dynamic "cloud" computing, which is absolutely critical, IMO.

Not everyone wants to give up all control of their apps and data to some corporate entity. I think it is important to retain control over how our computers operate, while tapping into the benefits that cloud computing offers.

Now, just to add to the excitement, let's also consider Bretzn. I see Bretzn as one of the final pieces of the puzzle that will make Linux/FOSS not only more accessible to the masses, but more appealing as well. The average user does not want to learn how to use a package manager, even if it has a nice GUI, nor does he/she want to scrounge the net for an application that fits their needs. With the onslaught of "App Stores" we see today, I think people almost expect all software to be as simple to install as an Android or iPhone app. Why not?

These are very exciting times. I can't wait to see what the next few years have in store for us... of course, it all will end in 2012, so we'd better hurry! :-P

[*] Not trying to slam KDE. IMO, it is THE desktop environment.

It's all going to end in 2012 *because* that's when KDE (with OwnCloud + Bretzen) shall reach pure programming perfection with every feature needed, zero bugs and the perfect UI. Upon this momentus occasion, humanities work shall be complete and we shall all ascend. This period shall be known as Kronos Deus Experientia Cincos (or KDE 5).

I've got my ticket on the spaceship booked. All aboard!

Ah Kubuntiac,

nice post, thanks!

Haha, well put, Kubuntiac!

I'm looking into ownCloud now. Also, as an FYI, Kubuntu Natty has ownCloud in the repos! Very cool in that it installs all of the dependencies automatically for (hopefully) an easy set up. Will keep you informed with how it goes.

Will it be possible to sync in "serverless" mode too? So that clients can sync data without syncing it to server (Microsoft Mesh has such option) and it doesn't matter if you want to sync even 100 GB of files (no need to buy server space like Dropbox has and no need to always run your own dedicated server).

dequire wrote:I'm looking into ownCloud now. Also, as an FYI, Kubuntu Natty has ownCloud in the repos! Very cool in that it installs all of the dependencies automatically for (hopefully) an easy set up. Will keep you informed with how it goes.

It’s easy to setup
I just tried it and it worked