Software as a Service – illusion of control – Süddeutsche.de

If you want to buy software today, it can often rent only as “Service on the Net”. For data protection and the rights of customers a big risk. But who actually owns digital goods?

Kanye West, multimillionaire rappers, it’s tough , Among other things, because his little daughter Northwest, 2, an app has downloaded, and this app contains so-called in-app purchases, so the opportunity to spend even more money after downloading to make the app more interesting, colorful, fast or otherwise what to do. The concept is, especially in games that you no longer can play without spending extra money from manufacturers popular.

West finds the concept not as good. He tweeted: “Fuck any game company did puts in-app purchases on kids games !!!” About: To hell with kids apps that encourage further purchases. 39,000 retweets and countless favorites star suggest that a few people Wests divide opinion.

Apart from the children rip indicated the rapper-Tweet on a much larger trend. Software is not a completed product more. To understand this, one must dare a glance back

It used to be:. Software was purchased, installed on DVD or CD and. Between the commercial center and the installation was a physical barrier. With ever faster lines and flat rates, it was only a logical step that software can be downloaded. First, smaller programs for a few years even entire operating systems. Today’s software usually online. From the servers of the manufacturer or supplier can either be downloaded or used directly on them.

Apps and cloud computing are now established

The boundaries between them are blurred. Because on the one hand cloud computing, in which data – such as a text file – even applications – such as a word processor – on a server, the “cloud”, are instead to be installed locally on the computer. Then there is the world of apps over which Kanye West so excited.

These are programs that are local, so saved on the phone or computer of the user, which are constantly but with the network in conjunction to get – often in exchange for money – to be supplied with new software components. Apps and cloud computing are now so established that many users still use small applets only or your browser, where you can access cloud applications. A generation of devices emerged from this realization: the lightweight, portable notebooks that much more can not to start as a browser, where the user just then doing his job

But even the software that basis. its complexity still needs to be installed on the user’s computer, is now permanent with the servers of the manufacturer in conjunction. For example, to check whether the user is at all authorized to use the program. This authorization can then be withdrawn at any time.