Re:Ask HN: Am I Being Paranoid?
by jeroenhd on Friday December 09, 2022 @01:27PM
(#33924735)
I don't know where the $15k number comes from, but I imagine that number is more about the parent company (Oxen) which runs a blockchain system. Adding a new server to this system requires an amount of cryptocurrency (set to 15,000 $OXEN according to their docs, or about $2,706).
I don't know exactly how their infrastructure is designed, but the direct integration with any cryptocurrency tech is reason enough for me to be sceptical about it. If their integration was just for sending back and forth cryptocurrency then that's somewhat acceptable (i.e. Signal's approach, though I still don't like it myself) but with Session the blockchain is deeper ingrained.
As for server cost, I imagine hosting a server in a country where the power infrastructure is under attack from a foreign invader isn't exactly making life cheaper. I'd expect the price for electricity to skyrocket, especially for unimportant services like messaging servers.
I don't know exactly how their infrastructure is designed, but the direct integration with any cryptocurrency tech is reason enough for me to be sceptical about it. If their integration was just for sending back and forth cryptocurrency then that's somewhat acceptable (i.e. Signal's approach, though I still don't like it myself) but with Session the blockchain is deeper ingrained.
As for server cost, I imagine hosting a server in a country where the power infrastructure is under attack from a foreign invader isn't exactly making life cheaper. I'd expect the price for electricity to skyrocket, especially for unimportant services like messaging servers.
Source: https://docs.oxen.io/products-built-on-oxen/session