tbray.org/ongoing/When/201x/2011/12/04/Information-wants-to-be-free I’ll grant that the distinction between bits-as-bits and bits-as-a-service may not always be obvious. But it’s crucial, because people will pay for only one of the two. What seems crucial in making the distinction is that in the case of a service, I’m paying ahead, for a predictable response to the unpredictable future.