> 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

> 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.