Google has unveiled App Engine and unlike some other recent Google efforts this one feels fully baked and well thought-out. For starters it includes all the elements that I had identified in my post calling for a new platform, such as a highly scalable DB using a simple storage model that maps well to the common use cases and even support for email processing. They even provide a fully featured local development environment. There is a lot here to digest and there may be issues hidden in the terms of service but this is a major milestone in making cloud computing a reality and potentially in breaking down the scalability barrier for startups.