Online cloud storage of files has become quite popular, making Dropbox into a company potentially worth billions. Many people are nervous about storing their stuff in such large repositories, not just because NSA apologists like Condoleeza Rice are getting involved, but because large cloud services are such juicy targets for hackers … governmental, military and criminal.
A photo uploaded by someone to the ownCloud live demo site, here.
OwnCloud offers a free, open source way to create your own online storage system. It works just like Dropbox or Apple’s iCloud, allowing you to access files from anywhere, synch your various devices to you music collection, your passwords, photos, etc.
But ownCloud it just that … your own cloud. It stores your stuff on your own computer and the software makes it accessible to you via the internet, no matter where you are or which device you may be using. Instead of being part of a big juicy target, you are one lonely little cloud, hardly worth hacking. Of course, it’s secured to make hacking difficult, using the same security protocols used by the big services.
For starters, I have an old Mac G4 Power PC that’s collecting dust. I plan to experiment with it, perhaps turning it into a Linux box and then adding the ownCloud server. It should give me several gigabytes of cloud service. I’ll let you know how it goes.
