Hopefully. I know I sound negative, but it's personal experience
   for me. "the cloud" is a renaming of dumb-terminal --> mainframe
   architecture. We're returning to pre-1984 client-server days.

   The programs and data are saved "elsewhere" and we have to trust
   that they'll be backed up, and backups of backups, and backups
   of backups of backups.

   But here's the thing: unlike the open distribution mechanism of
   Usenet (for example, which I _know_ is ancient stuff) - the
   replication of data is black-box. It's closed.

   Let's say Amazon goes under as a company. Hostile takeover. New
   bosses. New ideas. New methodologies for a New Era. Stuff like
   that.

   Backups? Oh, that was for the old company that used to be here.
   We have a NEW way. All of our servers are quantum computers now
   and we can't waste our time supporting legacy servers. *poof*.
   Gone.

   That's the kind of thing that happens. It can happen with
   Microsoft.

   I have great _hope_ but having seen many Forever promises come
   and go, I have to remain skeptical. But hopefully, you're
   correct and everything will go as promised.