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I'm not a cryptobro, but I was really hoping for a while that browser based miners could maybe solve the payment issue. I was happy to trade some cpu cycles fo

I'm not a cryptobro, but I was really hoping for a while that browser based miners could maybe solve the payment issue. I was happy to trade some cpu cycles for an ad free experience. I would win, the site would win, it seemed like a really nice idea. People immediately balked at the concept though and while I have no faith in crypto or its proponents at all, it's nice to think of what could have been.

Someone1234 3y ago
Because most users are on mobile devices and battery life is a limited resource. It isn't good for the user OR the business if their device dies mid-day and they stop consuming because you ran a miner in the background.
- user_7832 3y ago
  That can't be the only reason though. There are lots of things that are significantly worse/totally absent on mobile OSes already. Lots of software is made desktop-first, including apps like obsidian and (from the current HN frontpage) Arc browser. Mobile users have been 2nd class citizens in some ways for a while.
  - Someone1234 3y ago
    We were discussing Meta though. They absolutely depend on mobile, that is the majority of their user-base. In fact that is the majority on all ad-supported social media sites, so mining is a non-starter for them. Mobile traffic is >55% of all traffic and >80% for social media sites.
    - user_7832 3y ago
      I'm not sure that the original comment was in context of meta or ad experiences in general online, but yeah I'd agree that meta needs mobile users a lot.
Incipient 3y ago
You'd be trading cpu cycles, which consume power, which cost money. So you're trading money for an ad-free experience. You're paying actual money to remove adds. And doing it with a cpu that's not particularly efficient compared to asics. You're better off just paying money.
- BizarreByte 3y ago
  > You're better off just paying money. 14$ is more than they make off me by showing me ads. Trading CPU cycles seems more fair because it's only when I'm actually using the service.

Someone1234 3y ago

Because most users are on mobile devices and battery life is a limited resource. It isn't good for the user OR the business if their device dies mid-day and they stop consuming because you ran a miner in the background.

user_7832 3y ago
That can't be the only reason though. There are lots of things that are significantly worse/totally absent on mobile OSes already. Lots of software is made desktop-first, including apps like obsidian and (from the current HN frontpage) Arc browser. Mobile users have been 2nd class citizens in some ways for a while.
- Someone1234 3y ago
  We were discussing Meta though. They absolutely depend on mobile, that is the majority of their user-base. In fact that is the majority on all ad-supported social media sites, so mining is a non-starter for them. Mobile traffic is >55% of all traffic and >80% for social media sites.
  - user_7832 3y ago
    I'm not sure that the original comment was in context of meta or ad experiences in general online, but yeah I'd agree that meta needs mobile users a lot.

Incipient 3y ago

You'd be trading cpu cycles, which consume power, which cost money. So you're trading money for an ad-free experience. You're paying actual money to remove adds. And doing it with a cpu that's not particularly efficient compared to asics. You're better off just paying money.

BizarreByte 3y ago
> You're better off just paying money. 14$ is more than they make off me by showing me ads. Trading CPU cycles seems more fair because it's only when I'm actually using the service.