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Old buildings stand until they decay or we run out of space nearby and demolish them. HTML doesn't decay and we can't run out of URLs; web pages only disappear

Old buildings stand until they decay or we run out of space nearby and demolish them. HTML doesn't decay and we can't run out of URLs; web pages only disappear because our hosting infrastructure needlessly demands ongoing payment from (only!) the author. I say "needlessly" because the actual cost of storage, CPU, and networks are dropping so quickly that hosting a page forever should asymptotically approach a fixed cost that isn't much more than the first few years.

subroutine 9y ago
For MillionDollarHomepage.com 90% of these links are clickbait banner ads for scams; the underlying link is often controlled by a middle-man, redirecting to a site of the buyer’s choosing. So, on the other hand, if someone isn't willing to sponsor the cheap cost of hosting a site, maybe that site and its content isn't worth preserving?
aphextron 9y ago
This really bothers me about the state of webhosting. Trying to host your own stuff always feels so ephemeral because of monthly payment schemes and the need for maintenance. But the alternative of ad supported services like Facebook are fundamentally anti-user and evil by nature. Im really wishing for one of the big cloud providers to offer a one time payment guarenteed for life "digital locker". A single e2e encrypted service to store my digital assets. Essentially an online scrapbook that you could add to and journal your whole life in without any prying eyes or advertisement.
- rabidrat 9y ago
  Yes! One time payment for life storage is a great idea. I would also want to be able to serve some content publicly for ~100 years, so that it would be accessible even after my death. I called it the 'Century Archive' and wanted to price forever storage at $1/MB (for design as well as economic reasons).
notzorbo3 9y ago
> I say "needlessly" because the actual cost of storage, CPU, and networks are dropping so quickly that hosting a page forever should asymptotically approach a fixed cost that isn't much more than the first few years. As someone who's been involved in internet hosting since the days of dial-up, that's just not true. Or rather, it's not the whole picture. Hardware breaks and becomes unsupported. Dynamic pages run on software that rots. Is a hosting provider expected to still support pages that run on SSI, CGI with Perl that requires libraries that haven't been updated in 15 years and are full of security holes? Who's going to pay to move websites to new hardware? For the trouble of ensuring backups are working properly? For reacting to legal problems? Hosting involves a lot more than sticking a .html page behind an internet connection. Software rots. Webpages rot. Someone has to be paid to provide upkeep.

subroutine 9y ago

For MillionDollarHomepage.com 90% of these links are clickbait banner ads for scams; the underlying link is often controlled by a middle-man, redirecting to a site of the buyer’s choosing. So, on the other hand, if someone isn't willing to sponsor the cheap cost of hosting a site, maybe that site and its content isn't worth preserving?

aphextron 9y ago

This really bothers me about the state of webhosting. Trying to host your own stuff always feels so ephemeral because of monthly payment schemes and the need for maintenance. But the alternative of ad supported services like Facebook are fundamentally anti-user and evil by nature. Im really wishing for one of the big cloud providers to offer a one time payment guarenteed for life "digital locker". A single e2e encrypted service to store my digital assets. Essentially an online scrapbook that you could add to and journal your whole life in without any prying eyes or advertisement.

rabidrat 9y ago
Yes! One time payment for life storage is a great idea. I would also want to be able to serve some content publicly for ~100 years, so that it would be accessible even after my death. I called it the 'Century Archive' and wanted to price forever storage at $1/MB (for design as well as economic reasons).

notzorbo3 9y ago

> I say "needlessly" because the actual cost of storage, CPU, and networks are dropping so quickly that hosting a page forever should asymptotically approach a fixed cost that isn't much more than the first few years. As someone who's been involved in internet hosting since the days of dial-up, that's just not true. Or rather, it's not the whole picture. Hardware breaks and becomes unsupported. Dynamic pages run on software that rots. Is a hosting provider expected to still support pages that run on SSI, CGI with Perl that requires libraries that haven't been updated in 15 years and are full of security holes? Who's going to pay to move websites to new hardware? For the trouble of ensuring backups are working properly? For reacting to legal problems? Hosting involves a lot more than sticking a .html page behind an internet connection. Software rots. Webpages rot. Someone has to be paid to provide upkeep.