Blockchains are virtual computers that run on top of a network of physical computers that trade off performance (overhead of consensus mechanism) for the novel property that you can make credible long-term commitments to users and developers.
Therefore it is correct but not interesting to say blockchains are less performant that an individual computer controlled by, say Google or Facebook.
If you want to trust your business or you personal life to a computer owned by Google or Facebook, that’s great.
I wouldn’t. Many of us would like to opt out and try a different model.
I wouldn’t. Many of us would like to opt out and try a different model.
“There is no cloud. It’s just someone else’s computer.”
“I could run that on my Raspberry Pi” works great when the computer is sitting in your living room or in your university data center, but a lot different when governed by 100-page ToS and PP, and all sorts of other arbitrary rules that change on a whim.
Honestly it’s weird this is even a debate, especially with people who seem to be suspicious of corporate power.
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