What is Cloud Computing? Layperson giving 10 points?

I am from literature background with basic understanding of the Net and a few of the office software. I do not know if an application software and operating software are two different things or one.

Here are a few of my questions, please explain just the basic idea,



Can it be installed on a personal comp? Most forums talk about companies so...



If it works on a common platform (platform meaning not the way programmers understands it but a layperson, since they say it works on a common network) how will this affect the security?



In the current state of affairs, if my computer is disconnected from the internet, i can still keep my work on, on a word or excel sheet; since cloud computing is entirely web-based, what will happen to my work, if the cloud comp gets disconnected?What is Cloud Computing? Layperson giving 10 points?
Cloud computing is using internet connectivity to access computing services not present locally. An example of this would be Dropbox, or Google Docs. In a sense, Steam would also be an example of cloud computing, as would Facebook and other social media.



Cloud computing would ordinarily not be installed per se on a personal computer, but a client can be installed on a personal computer to gain access to cloud computing.



Security is an issue, as is data lock-in. There's no layperson explanation available there - it would concern such things as cryptography (both symmetric and asymmetric) and various cryptographic attacks.



If a computer using a cloud based service gets disconnected, there are two ways this can be handled. Either the computer starts buffering data (in order to transfer them once connectivity is restored - Dropbox does this for instance), or the computer shuts down the service (because connectivity is interrupted - Facebook does this).



Cloud computing isn't necessarily _web based_ per se, it is actually based on _internet connectivity_. Two different things, though the difference is usually too subtle for a layperson to discern, so I won't go into detail there.What is Cloud Computing? Layperson giving 10 points?
First understand the "cloud" has been around for a very long time.

It is the "internet" as a Switched network as opposed to a point to point network. Which simply mean the data goes out to the public domain of carriers and we do not care or track how it gets to the finial end point. The public domain carriers take care of all of the switching needed.



Cloud computing is just using the same idea and hooking up many servers from the same or different companies to the internet and letting the servers instruct the request for information to know where to go pick up the data they request. You do not need to know where the servers reside for company www.xxx.com, it is all transparent in the background. It is switched automatically as the requests for data come in.



It is NOT PC platform regulated it is internet protocol regulated. Generally TCP/IP over a switching network protocol. Security is a problem and can not be simplified in laypersons terms, other than to say, there are many points of entry , so many point it can be breached, still there are standard encryption that are used to protect all data.



If you disconnect from the cloud the work is save at the point you last save the data, just as it would be with a local server.