Understanding: cloud-server, cloud-hosting, cloud-computing, the cloud [closed]

There's a lot of buzz about these subjects and there seems little consensus on the terms. Is that just me not understanding the subject, or is there a clear meaning for each of these terms? Are there more elaborate terms or descriptions that describe what a cloud provider has, is or offers?

EDIT: rewritten question, apparently it was unclear, partially due to the bloat I added.

Solution 1:

In my mind these terms are 99% marketing speak and cannot be pinned down to anything specific.

Some hosting providers claiming they offer cloud-hosting, primarily offer virtual private hosting. How can I tell the difference?

Read the details about what they actually do under their support and FAQ sections instead of looking at the marketing stuff. If they don't provide any real detail ask them or look for someone else that can actually provide specific details about what they offer.

Solution 2:

i would look at what are your requirements and criteria for accepting the cloud vendor's service. there is no real definition of cloud out there really. whatever satisfy your requirement should be more important. i persume your list might be:

1. your cost + cost future growth
2. fault tolerance
3. on-demand growth possible on the cloud
4. tech support responsiveness
5. software provided
6. security concern
7. guarantee of uptime

choosing any cloud vendor must be with care because migrating out of one may not be so easy and costly.