Cloud hosted servers may seem like one of the latest, greatest innovations to completely rock the technology industry, but their development has really been a long time coming. Believe it or not, the idea of cloud hosting servers has been around for quite a long time, and has even found its way into the works of classic science fiction writers.

Here are just a few of the great authors who imagined cloud servers before they were ever invented.

Ray Bradbury.

In Ray Bradbury’s classic novel, Farenheit 451, every home has a high powered television set that’s fully interactive. Mildred, the protagonist’s wife, is able to give voice commands to the TV, and can even chat with the characters of the show she’s watching. Today, cloud hosting and computing has produced the smart TV, which may not be nearly as interactive as the one in Farenheit 451, but is still impressive. Thanks to services like Netflix and Hulu, and cloud devices such as Apple TV or Chromecast, you can access a myriad of shows and movies all hosted on the cloud.

Neal Stephenson.

In Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, a group of hackers build an underground data center that facilitates Internet banking. That in and of itself is immediately reminiscent of the online banking and financial prowess of cloud hosting and computing we can do today. Thanks to the cloud, you can check your bank account, pay bills, transfer funds, and more, all from your mobile device. What makes this early idea so interesting, though, is that it also predicts the rise of crypto-currency, such as Bitcoin.

Orson Scott Cards

In Orson Scott Cards’ prolific hero’s journey Ender’s Game, the protagonist is able to coordinate military attacks with comrades who are millions of miles away, all in the novel’s real time, not unlike the Google Docs we have today. Thanks to the monolithic tech giant’s suite of apps — Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Calendar, Gmail — it’s possible to work on documents with co-workers simultaneously.

Although these writers imagined cloud hosting before its actual invention, it’s unlikely that they were able to predict the impact it would have. Today, cloud hosting services can allow businesses to become more productive, scale back the cost of their operations, and create new products and services more easily.

If you have any questions about how cloud hosting has reshaped the technology industry, feel free to share in the comments.