>> Computing for yourself isn’t free either, you just paid the bulk of the costs up front.
True, but I control the computers in question. The decentralized web is more a question of who controls what and what they can do. Cost does definitely come into play, but to a lesser extent.
>> the idea of being able to “burst” compute when I need additional power.
>> The fixed cost of having a personal machine capable of anything I might want is remarkably high compared to the cost of my average compute needs - being able to “rent” the excess could be both cheaper and less wasteful on the mean.
Again, the larger part of the argument is control and decentralization. I completely agree that cloud computing is useful, especially when you have computing needs that change elastically and you are aware of the limitations of renting storage space or computing time on someone else's computers.
My concern about Web3 computing is where my local computing capabilities are reduced and I would need to rely on hundreds of computers owned and controlled by other people to get capabilities that are not worth the opportunity cost to me.
True, but I control the computers in question. The decentralized web is more a question of who controls what and what they can do. Cost does definitely come into play, but to a lesser extent.
>> the idea of being able to “burst” compute when I need additional power. >> The fixed cost of having a personal machine capable of anything I might want is remarkably high compared to the cost of my average compute needs - being able to “rent” the excess could be both cheaper and less wasteful on the mean.
Again, the larger part of the argument is control and decentralization. I completely agree that cloud computing is useful, especially when you have computing needs that change elastically and you are aware of the limitations of renting storage space or computing time on someone else's computers.
My concern about Web3 computing is where my local computing capabilities are reduced and I would need to rely on hundreds of computers owned and controlled by other people to get capabilities that are not worth the opportunity cost to me.