IBM's open cloud plans to float away?

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An IBM plan to launch an “open” cloud computing system for the industry may have gone off course with reports Google has backed out.

Although Cisco, Sun, AT&T, Red Hat, SAP and AMD are among a list of 30 companies still supporting the plan, it is a blow to IBM.

A Google spokesperson said: "Google is a strong advocate of cloud computing, given the substantial benefits for consumers and businesses. We value industry dialog that results in more and better delivery of software and services via the internet, and appreciate IBM's leadership and commitment in this area. We continue to be open to interoperability with all vendors and any data."

However not everyone has been so nice about it, with Microsoft’s senior director of developer platform product management, Steve Martin, panning the plan in his blog.

He said: “It appears to us that one company, or just a few companies, would prefer to control the evolution of cloud computing, as opposed to reaching a consensus across key stakeholders through an 'open' process."

When IT PRO asked Microsoft about Martin’s blog comments, a spokesperson said: “Microsoft continues to strongly support an open, collaborative dialogue. It is important for everyone to take a step back and remember this isn't about vendors; it is about developers and end-users.”

The spokesperson said Microsoft is looking for a "collaborative do-over" at a meeting held at the Cloud Computing Expo next week.

The BBC has reported that Amazon also want nothing to do with the project, and the Cloud Computing Interoperability Forum withdrew its support over the weekend.

IBM had yet to reply for request for comment at the time of publishing.

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