while it's true that appengine by nature insists on optimization towards roflscale a lot earlier in development than what we devs would normally prefer, I think

while it's true that appengine by nature insists on optimization towards roflscale a lot earlier in development than what we devs would normally prefer, I think that the pricing model is designed for a different class of app than what most people are building. most people want that killer app that is offered for free to the millions of users and you figure out how to monetize it later after you get funding and eventually acquired. appengines pricing model insists on profitability sooner. if you instead built that killer app for millions of users that pay $12/year, the amount you paid to appengine wouldn't nearly sting as bad. to say the cost is hidden is almost absurd, the cost is staring you in the face every day you log in to the admin console. Every month you get an invoice in your email. I see this as a good thing. A developer that can deliver an application that can meet the scalability needs at a low cost would be a tremendous asset for any company looking to make money.