I would like to have the term "cloud computing", or "cloud" anything stricken from the El Reg lexicon except when referring to the puffy things that float about in the sky please. It's a new name for the same goal hardware and software makers have been aiming at since the '60's (or earlier).

Even polls conducted by (or at least available on) El Reg prove that "the cloud" is a stupid marketing gimmick. Whoever invented that term should be shot right now. Barring the execution of the marketing worm that came up with that term can we just stop using it?

Instead of letting "trends" drive El Reg, why doesn't El Reg do its part?. You guys are supposed to bite the hand that feeds IT - now get to it and come up with a suitable name to replace "cloud" with.

Can we have a reader poll on a new term?

P.S. I use the "your foster parents are dead" icon because it's weird and I'm not exactly sure what it referrers to. Maybe someone can explain it to me.