From: Steve Schear <azur@netcom.com>
Date: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 14:12:57 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: Remailers and ecash
In-Reply-To: <8f6805d079d5185626e98fff7b367aea@anon.efga.org>
Message-ID: <v03102802b05356b90f68@[10.0.2.15]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



>There also seems to be an idea that there is some big R&D investment
>in adapting a remailer to use e-cash.  There isn't.  You have to open
>an account at Mark Twain Bank.  You have to figure out how to call the
>Digicash executable from within a Perl script.  (Since nobody has
>corrected me on this, I am becoming confident that it is really as
>easy as I think.)  Why not try it?  Worst case, you lose a little
>time.  Best case, you get rich and the remailer network takes off.
>

The only way ecash is likely to catch on is if there's something useful to
purchase with it.  Remailers are a great way to create that opportunity,
fisrt with CP and then with the wider Net community.

>
>The way ecash will catch on is that a small group of people will start
>using it regularly for services and trade within their loosely defined
>community.  Once things start rolling, more people and services can be
>added.  Once things catch on, they will snowball.

Just like PGP.

>
>The place to start is in this group with the remailers.

Yes, and with client SW.  The main technical reason remailers aren't in
general use is a lack of simple to use, uniform feature, remailer clients
(yes, I know about Private Idaho).  This would best be either plug-ins for
the many email clients, but simpler yet a browser applet so any platform
can use use it and no explicit download is needed.  Such an applet has been
prototyped by Geoff Keating and is online, needing mainly Type II and ecash
support.  There might even be a hybrid step to create an adaptor plug-in
connected to the browser applet (if the sandbox permits this
intercommunication).  In any case, Java is definitely the way to go for
client SW.

--Steve


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