Have you ever been in a meeting or attended a presentation where the presenter tried to articulate what the term "cloud computing" actually means, only to find that the next person describes it differently? I think everyone in their own minds has an idea of what is meant by cloud computing, but I'm also willing to bet that most people define it differently. Most IT professionals will instantly describe it as XaaS (Anything as a Service), which is correct. Or is it?

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that everyone has a definition of cloud computing, and who am I to say that your definition is less accurate than mine? But I still get the feeling that the term cloud computing is still a bit loose in its definition within technology circles.

So last night I spotted something interesting. The definition of a real cloud is "a mass of water particles in the air", and that quite obviously has nothing in common with cloud computing. However, some the synonyms for the term "cloud" include:

darkness, fog, gloom, mist, puff, smog, smoke, steam, vapour, veil, billow, dimness, film, fogginess, frost, haze, haziness, murk, nebula, obscurity, overcast...

Notice how most if not all of those terms indicate poor visibility? To me, it's a funny coincidence that just as so many find it difficult to articulate cloud computing to others with clarity, the synonyms for the term "cloud" literally define "poor visibility" or a "lack of clarity". Is it almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Anyway, this finding actually derailed my domain name search, and I am yet to find that name that just fits with what I'm trying to achieve.