I agree, the discussion here has immediately taken a technical dimension for the same reasons that engineers are really poor at evaluating the real world value

I agree, the discussion here has immediately taken a technical dimension for the same reasons that engineers are really poor at evaluating the real world value and far-reaching social implications of the technology they create. This is not an article about the technical difficulties of running today's Internet or email. It is about the transition from revolution to institution. Centralisation limits the disruptive potential of the Internet and in the long term will transform it from an enabling technology into another obstacle that needs to be overcome. This is just another step in a long series of advancements that have transformed human existence: organised Agriculture, Centralised Government, The Written Word, The Legal System, Mathematics, Science, Democracy, Free Markets, Finance, The Industrial Revolution, Publishing, Education, Modern Medicine, Personal Automobiles, and the Mass Media. In the idealistic minds of the pioneers, the potential was evident and intentions often subversive. Today these have invariably matured into terribly inefficient monstrous empires that are fiercely resistant to innovation or new ideas. With the resources to move the world, why should they move for anyone? Personal Computing and the Internet are new and exciting, the gatekeepers remain engineers because they are the only ones that seem to be able to get it to do anything. Despite the convenience argument, building a centralised infrastructure will lead to the inevitable takeover by the same maniacs that run everything else. Of course, it may take a few generations before Google's superbly engineered infrastructure is operated by a Manufacturing/Pharmaceutical/Petroleum/Media/Retail/Finance/Defense conglomerate whose alumni occupy every significant position in Government. Why should we bother? "After this, let's build the biggest, most bad-ass super robot weapon ever because it's cool and fun, we'll use a master password because it's more convenient and surely that bully that eats all our lunches might be watching intently, but he's too stupid to understand advanced control theory." That being said, I would like to work at Google, the smart kids building the biggest, most bad-ass super robot weapon ever.