I thought I answered this as clearly as I knew how. Let me use shorter sentences.

I still don't have an answer for that, will it essentially be a checking account denominated in dollars

Yes.

or will the digital cash unit be detach from the dollar in some way?

No. Is this clear? These are the plans I personally have. Eric

Mark Hittinger <bugs@netsys.com> writes

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Mark Hittinger writes: [...stuff about gold and what digital currency will represent in "real value"... ] [...] Another thought, could digital cash become more valuable than other forms of cash because of its unique characteristics?

Yes. There will be nothing more liquid than information in an information society. Nothing.

As more people see the advantages of digital cash then there might be bidding for the available pool. If digital cash supply is restricted in some way, early converters would gain advantage.

Limiting the pool is harder than you would think. Use all the numbers you want, we'll make more :) Seriously, the secret is to remember that the net transcends geopolitical boundaries. All you need is _one_ bank that can/will convert cash to digital money and then _everyone in the world who can get an internet connection can use it_. The sun never sets on the string of machines I have accounts on (I think...there is never a globe handy when you need one...), and with the secure communications systems that are possible how could any government hope to stop us?

I'm not advocating gold, or 1972 dollars, or 1974 dollars, or 1979 dollars, or .....

But it would be possible. That is the real danger digital cash poses to government authority over the monetary system. Once I can get my dollars or dinars, or donuts exchanged into digital cash it is possible for me to do things to it never before dreamed of. I can take my locally exchanged digital-donuts, put them on the net, and send them over to a bank in some small island nation with lax banking laws for instant conversion at the moments rate to some other international currency and transferal through several anonymous accounts, and then zip them over to a network gold server that will create a certified bullion deposit for me in a real bank. I can untracably convert my paycheck into a gold deposit in a foreign nation while sitting in my living room wearing nothing but my socks. I can conduct intricate financial transactions that are completely outside the realm of my governement to regulate, imagine what would happen to the governement if _everyone_ could hide and launder assets as easy as criminal syndicates. If this does not cause some federal banker an ulcer or two then they have no idea what the future will bring them, all the better for us... jim

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Neither Mark Hittinger nor Perry Metzger wrote: The global monetary system...

It was me, the well-known international monetary expert. -- | GOOD TIME FOR MOVIE - GOING ||| Mike McNally <m5@tivoli.com> | | TAKE TWA TO CAIRO. ||| Tivoli Systems, Austin, TX: | | (actual fortune cookie) ||| "Like A Little Bit of Semi-Heaven" |