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Ask HN: What if Tx edu sys used idle compute resources to mine Bitcoin..?

3 points by TwoJob ↗ HN
...and turned over generated bitcoin to teachers.

5 comments

[ 10.7 ms ] story [ 112 ms ] thread
wmf
They'd actually lose money, because the Bitcoin is worth less than the electricity that they spent. There is no free money.
bob_hope_lives
Clearly there is no free money.

Their computers are already on running bloated windows os. Sure it would be an increased load, but can you really write it off as a complete loss without such much as taking even a cursory look at the numbers? If the state's school districts switched to Xubuntu and then did so..?

wmf
The reason I'm so confident is that I did run the numbers. I have profitably mined Bitcoin a couple times in the past.
DanBC
Profitable bitcoin mining is all ASICs in places with favorable energy costs. Regular computers in schools are not going to make any profit.

Here's a story about a man who installed SETI@Home on a bunch of school computers without getting correct permission.

The extra electricity bill caused some consternation.

http://www.securityfocus.com/news/300

And here's someone who lost their job because of it: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20041010/2225204.shtml