Business idea?

[CaptainMooseInc]

I'm not actually going to do what I'm about to suggest, but throw it out there to see what a public's general interest in such a thing would be....confused yet?


The Model:

I buy a bunch of computers ranging from 500MHz thru highest speed on the market all with at least 128MBs of RAM. 1/2 AMDs, 1/2 Intels.

I buy an internet connection for small business such as Comcast's Cable-Modem deal.

I put 1/2 of the boxes on Linux, 1/2 on Windows.

I build a website and offer to rent these computers out to anyone willing to pay a fee to crunch any project they want on one of my systems. Fee varies on computer speed (the AMD, Intel, Linux, Windows specifications are just for people wanting to have more control over what their money is controlling). So long as the fee is being paid at the beginning of the month, that gets the person a month's worth of crunching.

Maximum fee would be roughly $12/mo for the highest end computer and roughly $6/mo for the lowest end computer.

If you pay for a year's worth of crunching up front, you get 1 month free.
The more boxes, the higher the price but it stays at the given rate for that system.

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Now, would anyone ever do this??

Answer my poll if you would...

Thanks,
-Jeff

[PY 222]

I believe someone has done so, but in a larger scale.

http://www-1.ibm.com/grid/

A worthwhile idea but I doubt that it'll fly in our DC circles. DC to me, is more of a hobby. So, I'll want to get my hands dirty and tinker with my own stuff than just pay someone to do it for me.

[CaptainMooseInc]

I'm not actually gonna try it, I just wanted to know what ppl thought about it. No way in hell I'd try it (I have no $$$). :)

-Jeff