> there may not be a significant paradigm shift on the horizon, nor the associated generational change that goes with it.

That's possible, but I see things that lead to me think that we're not there.

Primarily, there are a number of rather serious problems with the cloud, some of which are inherent to the paradigm and likely can't be resolved -- we'll just have to live with them.

When a paradigm has such problems, the possibility always exists that a new way of doing things can come about that sidesteps those problems.