Uses for Your Own Private Cloud.

The term cloud is just a new marketing term for a good old fashioned web server. Update: it has now matured to be more than that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing. In any event, there are quite a few things you can do with a web server at home or even in a small business. Everything can be accessed from any computer on the network. As long as the client computer has a web browser such as firefox or etc. I predict the web server will be the next home appliance. If you want to program your own web site, w3schools.com and http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/ are a good place to start learning about web development. www.howtoforge.com has some excellent tutorials on setting up web servers.

Also consider reading:
http://ofps.oreilly.com/titles/9780596805784/
http://oreilly.com/catalog/0636920010067

If you want to install existing web applications, here is an introduction: https://www.instructables.com/id/Introduction-to-installing-web-apps/

The new arm based devies such as the Cisco Linksys Nslu2, Raspberry Pi, Beagleboard, and a host of other arm based systems can al be light weight web servers.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Raspberry-Pi-Jack-of-all-trades/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Give-your-Cisco-Linksys-NSLU2-some-muscle-part-1/

Note:

All the screen shots are taken from an old Dell GX1 (Pentium II) which is considered outdated technology by today's standards but still works for us. This particular system is running Ubuntu 12.04 lts that was originally running 6.x that we have upgraded over several years. All the upgrades were done without having to redo the computer. We do back up the system at intervals with Clonezilla. Update: system has been upgraded to a PIII via a cpu swapout.

processor	: 0
vendor_id	: GenuineIntel
cpu family	: 6
model		: 5
model name	: Pentium II (Deschutes)
stepping	: 2
cpu MHz		: 448.648

Update: I just upgraded that old machine to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS in place (ie no reformatting or complete reloading of the os). I did have to redo the mail server set up though and update some of the web applications. Most of which I would have had to do anyway.

You can even have your own bookmarks and other useful tools for around the house. You can even do home automation. Turn on and off lights, appliances, and even lock/unlock doors. Not to mention open and close things such as a garage door.

You can even create your own web pages with the important information that pertains to you. You can even have a script that updates the web page automaticcally so you do not have to rewrite the page..

Science applications such as a periodic table/

More details here.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Almost-diskless-boot-from-a-web-server/

You can even access the server in the kitchen. One application I like to use is Cookdojo. It is a nice web based recipe program. All the data is saved on the server so, you do not have to worry on what computer you saved your recipes. You can also get web applications to help you with what is in the pantry and the fridge to easily make a grocery list.

Also love to have various kitchen utilities such as an on-line egg timer and recipe conversion tools.

You can also have several websites all from the same computer just like the pros do.

With microcontollers we have a whole new aspect to web application. The Arduino and it's relatives are the biggest jumpstart of this genre of software. Mainly for home automation, you can gather data, control switches, or many other tasks all remotely.

Not really familiar with Jscut except to say that if is web based software the will render .svg files form say Inkspot and create Gcode that can be used on a local CNC router machine.