The Cloud

At the moment, I know nothing about the Cloud, what is is, what is does, or anything. 
I wonder what it is, and what it does? 
Why is it called the Cloud? 
When was Cloud Computing Created? 

Links I used for information: 
http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-computing.htm
http://www.rackspace.com/cloud/what_is_cloud_computing/

• Apparently the Cloud is a metaphor for the internet, and when combined with computing it means getting "bigger and fuzzier." Other people say that anything you use with this resource is "in the cloud." 
• Cloud Computing is a software that has all the programs a person needs for their job on one application. 
• The only thing a computer needs to run the Cloud system is interface software. 
• Yahoo, Gmail, and Hotmail use Cloud computing! The storage in your email doesn't belong to the computer, it's part of the service's computer Cloud. 
• You can have public or private clouds depending on what you want to pay for. 
• The idea for a software like Cloud Computing has been around since the 1960s. It has been being improved and worked on for many years. There is no certain date it was established, but 2006, 2008, and 2011 were a few years that had major turning points on the Cloud Computing Software. 

     This system seems like it's very useful and applies to most computers, and I use computers all the time! I also have a Gmail, and the information I read said that Gmail uses the Cloud system. My emails and information from Gmail is saved onto the Cloud the system instead of onto my computer. This is something that I never knew. :)  

I still wonder what other applications or systems on the computer use Cloud. I also wonder how many people use it, and if it is an affordable good software to use. (If it is, I think it should be advertised more because I have never heard of it, and when I asked fellow students they had never heard of it either.) 

  

Picture Links: 
http://www.google.com.co/imgres?imgurl=http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/cloud-computing-1.gif&imgrefurl=http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-computing.htm&h=400&w=400&sz=46&tbnid=4IWl1835KYmgIM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=87&zoom=1&usg=__rurMTEkIUgmnMRaniRovYFERm_k=&docid=gHBbfWfERnz7tM&sa=X&ei=rH1kUILnKob88QTHuIDABQ&ved=0CD0Q9QEwAw&dur=250
http://www.google.com.co/imgres?imgurl=http://smallbiztechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/cloud-computing-kitchen-sink.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2011/09/wait-what-is-cloud-computing.html/&h=399&w=559&sz=71&tbnid=-acVYu-bXypddM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=110&zoom=1&usg=__1cWyX5gWrlzwniJOANd0wLqETrM=&docid=z85LWHChcB-FKM&sa=X&ei=rH1kUILnKob88QTHuIDABQ&ved=0CEAQ9QEwBA&dur=3033