> I'm guessing the majority of their profits come from people who don't use their full metered capacity
For Herokus sake I hope that that is not the case.
Typically a service like this is 'oversubscribed' to about 10 to 15%, it's like pre-paying for your parking meter, you want to pay a little bit too much because of the uncertainty in when you'll get back to the meter but not so much that you'd be cheaper off parking somewhere for a flat rate fee.
If they really do make the majority of their money on unused instances then they're setting themselves up for trouble in the longer term.
I highly doubt they did not think that one through.
For Herokus sake I hope that that is not the case.
Typically a service like this is 'oversubscribed' to about 10 to 15%, it's like pre-paying for your parking meter, you want to pay a little bit too much because of the uncertainty in when you'll get back to the meter but not so much that you'd be cheaper off parking somewhere for a flat rate fee.
If they really do make the majority of their money on unused instances then they're setting themselves up for trouble in the longer term.
I highly doubt they did not think that one through.