From: eric@remailer.net (Eric Hughes)
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 94 14:21:11 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Brands excluded from digicash beta
In-Reply-To: <199412031953.NAA01538@omaha.omaha.com>
Message-ID: <199412032319.PAA17722@largo.remailer.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


   From: Alex Strasheim <alex@omaha.com>

   > Until the Digicash system can move real value, there is no
   > reason to use it.

   I think I'm missing something here.  Isn't the Digicash system in a
   beta-phase?  At this point, aren't they just trying to work out the kinks
   and show people that it works? 

Yes, it is granted that Digicash is in beta, and not polished.  But
beta testing usually happens after all significant functionality is
present.  The Digicash beta isn't moving real money, and that's a
significant functional deficit.

   Obviously, a system that hasn't been deployed isn't as useful as one that
   has.  

This is substantially my point.  DC and FV are not directly
comparable, because one does something directly useful and the other
doesn't.

   The question is, once Digicash is released for real, how will it 
   compare to FV?

Who can say?  It hasn't been released for real.  Clearing and
settlement in a payments system are _most_ of the problem, not sugar
coating.  FV is leveraging Visa for settlement, but Digicash currently
has nothing.

Eric