> internet [..] It didn't really pan out like that 

I'd say not right now, no, but I expect that it'll ebb and flow just like urbanization/suburbanization does. The internet is still young too. And PS, I run servers, I own domains, I do a lot of p2p and local stuff. Don't think in absolutes, think in pressures and counterpressures on the delta between the absolutes.

Best that can happen right now is having 5-10 million BitAxes in homes.

But isn't that the kind of assumption what early internet creators thought that all of the world would run servers in their homes, and have their own domains and so on? It didn't really pan out like that.

ville

Ignoring overhead, those chips being parallelized on a board, and then with 100s of boxes with 100s of chips all hashing in parallel in a big warehouse, means you can also put 1 chip in each home.

The reduction in overhead and higher frequency of payout at scale are what makes the centralization pressure, but it only matters if the electricity cost is non-negligible.

However, if an additional 15W doesn't make a dent in your electricity bill (basically: for everyone running airconditioning) then the overhead and payment frequency doesn't matter, and you can just mine. And then, even if you never find a block, you still had some fun, an interesting story to talk about, and a dashboard to stare at that probably damages your brain less than doomscrolling tiktok. Nothing to lose.

bitcoin_Mining

What's the use of FOSS solomining (e.g. Bitaxe) when the hash rate is so small?

> How does it help with decentralisation?

Ignoring overhead, those chips being parallelized on a board, and then with 100s of boxes with 100s of chips all hashing in parallel in a big warehouse, means you can also put 1 chip in each home.

The reduction in overhead and higher frequency of payout at scale are what makes the centralization pressure, but it only matters if the electricity cost is non-negligible. 

However, if an additional 15W doesn't make a dent in your electricity bill (basically: for everyone running airconditioning) then the overhead and payment frequency doesn't matter, and you can just mine. And then, even if you never find a block, you still had some fun, an interesting story to talk about, and a dashboard to stare at that probably damages your brain less than doomscrolling tiktok. Nothing to lose.