> Each service could have some defined "suspend" mode that attempts to minimize Amazon's cost non-destructively. That's what stopping instances _is_ already.

> Each service could have some defined "suspend" mode that attempts to minimize Amazon's cost non-destructively. That's what stopping instances _is_ already. You don't get charged for stopped instances which is a defining feature of Amazon's cloud. Very few providers actually offer this. Most just charge away for the compute even if the instances are powered off, Azure being one exception. This whole "spin up compute and get charged a minimal amount when not in usage, but keep your working environment" model was pioneered by Amazon. > So wouldn't this cost Amazon money? Sure, but that's a cost of doing business. Why would Amazon spend a bunch of money, so that they can charge customers _less_ money, in order to keep customers who are cheapskates, and/or won't take the time to learn the platform properly?