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