[TML] xBoat economics

[Timothy Little]

On Thu, Jan 03, 2008 at 05:06:55PM -0800, Tom Naro wrote:
> The potential income you have calculated is unlikely to materialize.

You do realise the whole *point* was to show that the price per
message was insanely high and should be drastically lowered, right?
It's a reductio ad absurdum.


> However the argument that data storage capacity has anything to do
> with how often people talk to each other is just going to fall flat.

Not at all, so long as you're actually following the reasoning and not
just what you want to read.


> Your main objection to the 1 cr fee is that it results in making
> "TOO MUCH" money.

As I thought, you misread the objection.


> That position just not reasonable. Any enterprise seeks to maximize
> profits.

Enterprises also seek out niches where they can prosper.  Such a niche
can be found by retailing messages, and aggregating them into the
possible 1 Cr wholesale fee that the Imperium might charge.

Thus by the Imperium charging so much per message, they miss out on an
opportunity for profit.


> Given that the alternative is to get on a ship (at 1000 Cr, 8000 Cr,
> or 10000 Cr) and deliver the message yourself, the small fee of 1 cr
> still seems reasonable.

No, the alternative is to give your message to someone who is already
sending a message for 1 Cr, to include your data into theirs without
giving another cent to the Imperium.  The 'someone else' obviously
can't charge any more than 1 Cr, but can certainly make a profit
charging much less, and they have to compete with other people who
might charge less than they do.

Now you have to explain how and why this cannot happen.


- Tim