> -----Original Message-----
> From: Shahan, Ray [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> 
> [...] My example used the concept that two companies [...] could
> use the same computer without owning the computer, or conflicting
> with each others process time.
> 
> One list member responded that this was the old "charge-back
> system",

Hmmm... I talked about "timesharing" systems, with a central computer shared among many "clients", which I think is or was often implemented using a "charge-back" system.

> and while in some ways it is, what I left out in my 
> example was the very important point that ... you 
> will not know (or care) where the computer(s) ... are 
> physically located.

Actually, I suspect that timeshare clients were already thinking of "the computer" in this manner: as a "client", they really don't care if the computer is in the next building or at the south pole -- just so long as they have connectivity, they can get their work done...

> Your process may be distributed over the entire globe, and 
> using a hundred different boxes at the same time.

Or another way to look at this is is from the point of view of the computer owner: instead of a fixed pool of "clients", your client base is now "worldwide" and you may only "see" a given client for one pass of their data through your system -- if/when "micropayments" really gain acceptance, then it becomes even easier -- in my case, I'd fire up my 3000, connect it to "the net", and offer "cpu seconds" of processing power for a few pennies each.  Generally, I wouldn't care who my "customers" were so long as I was getting paid, and a decent system running 24x7 could gather quite a few pennies each day... :)

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