Tim writes:
This is a terribly important point. Implementing this "atomic transaction" would be a major step. Having a Web site that does this EVEN WITH PLAY TOKENS would be a useful step.
There used to be a little toy server run by Software Agents at www.netbank.com. It exchanged something called NetCash which had the following format. NetCash US$ 10.00 A123456B789012C You could mail the server encrypting with its public key, and it would send you back the results encrypted with any password you specified. The server could do a number of simple things, like exchange tokens for new ones, make change, combine a bunch of tokens into a single one, and check tokens for validity. You could deposit tokens and they would mail you a check, or you could mail them a check, and they would issue tokens. It was a cute little system, restricted to amounts under $100, and got some use by BBS systems which accepted the tokens to pay for a subscription. Anyone remember this? It apparently folded, and netbank.com is now a real bank. -- Eric Michael Cordian 0+ O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"