The main barrier is the difficulty of doing it, and there is currently an economic disincentive to fix this. For software companies the cloud is DRM, and the o

The main barrier is the difficulty of doing it, and there is currently an economic disincentive to fix this. For software companies the cloud is DRM, and the only kind that works. Rent access to software and you can easily charge a recurring fee for it. This is incredible on the business side, especially because recurring revenue is valued higher by finance types than non-recurring revenue (due to perceived lower risk). For makers of software you can self-host, money is often made through support. This creates a disincentive to make things too easy or you cut into support profits. If you try to make a living making endpoint applications, life is hard. The FOSS movement has educated the market that software should always be free (as in beer, not freedom). People will pay $10 for a Starbucks drink but not $5 for an app they use every day.