"I want BitWrk to become a true community project, a technology that is in the hands of many. By sharing revenue with authors, I want to create a whole new business model for Open Source developers.
Please support the project by trying out the software and testing it for bugs! Also, there is a Facebook page to like, a Twitter account to follow and a GitHub project to star.
Last but not least, BitWrk is in need of developers."
-- Jonas Eschenburg, founder of BitWrk
In 2011, an open marketplace for computing power was a visionary concept. In 2014, it has become reality.
BitWrk aims to be a marketplace for computing power. Rather than providing computing resources itself (like "cloud" service providers do), it is a marketplace where consumers (buyers) meet providers (sellers).
Fundamentally, BitWrk works like a stock exchange. The difference is that it's not stocks that are traded, but computing tasks. There are different kinds of computing tasks on BitWrk, just like there are different stocks traded on a stock exchange.
Buyers are people who wish to get some computing tasks done (as quickly as possible, and as cheap as possible). They profit from BitWrk because they get on-demand access to enormous computing resources, from their desktop computers.
Sellers are people who provide the service of handling those tasks to the public. They profit directly from the money earned in exchange.
Prices are determined by the rules of supply and demand. Participants may range from hobbyists to companies (both buyers, and sellers).
BitWrk makes use of Bitcoin, a democratic, open-source, electronic payment system. The choice of Bitcoin as BitWrk's preferred currency guarantees a low entry barrier, especially for potential buyers, provided that the success of Bitcoin continues. It also enables registration-less, anonymous participation and cost-effective micro-transactions.
If, on the other hand, Bitcoin turns out not to be a good choice, that's not going to be a problem. BitWrk itself does not depend on it. Other currencies and payment methods can be integrated later on.
Read more about the concepts behind BitWrk.