At 6:10 AM -0600 6/7/01, extropians-digest wrote: >Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 01:48:08 -0400 (EDT) >From: Dan Fabulich <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: E-cash's feasibility? > >Hi! It's been a while since I posted here. > >I'm starting to do research on an article I'm writing about David >Chaum's e-cash protocol, especially as it impacts the feasibility of >extremely small micropayments. > >It's been years since I've been involved in this field, however, and >folks like the Cypherpunks don't seem to have updated their WWW pages >in a VERY long time, so I'm not sure where I'd look to find out what >the state of the art is. > >Last I'd heard, the feasibility of using a system derived from his >blind signature protocol was limited, because Chaum had a patent on >his algorithm which wouldn't expire until, IIRC, 2007 or so. Though >I'm aware than various people have extended his idea, but AFAIK it >would be illegal of me to sit down and write an open source Chaumian >bank based on his blind signature protocol. > >Is this actually the case? > >In my article, I want to argue that it Chaum's algorithm COULD be the >final blow to bring micropayments to everyone if it were distributed >as a Free (as in speech) open-source program, but that past and >current micropayment systems have failed because the organizations who >have tried to push for them (including Chaum's DigiCash, now eCash >Technologies,) have done so with a closed source system, with an eye >towards taking a cut out of every e-transaction. Under an open-source >Chaumian bank, on the other hand, anybody could be their own bank, >rendering middleman business strategies like this impossible. > >I also want to argue against Clay Shirky and others who claim that >micropayments are a bad idea because they are bad for consumers. They >DO benefit distributors at the expense of consumers, but they >disadvantage consumers only a little, and benefit distributors quite a >lot. The whole P2P idea is that the consumers ARE distributors (and >even, more democratically, producers!) so, in a P2P environment, >micropayments are a good idea. > >I've heard of Mojo Nation, but I'm also aware that they currently do >not provide a means for trading Mojo for money, or vice versa. > >- -Dan > > -unless you love someone- > -nothing else makes any sense- > e.e. cummings ************************************************************************** Subscribe to Freematt's Alerts: Pro-Individual Rights Issues Send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the words subscribe FA on the subject line. List is private and moderated (7-30 messages per week) Matthew Gaylor, (614) 313-5722 ICQ: 106212065 Archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fa/ ************************************************************************** --- You are currently subscribed to e-gold-list as: archive@jab.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
