Re: microcurrency: Netscape vs. Microsoft

[Lucky Green <shamrock@netcom.com>]

At 11:46 AM 1/20/97 -0800, Vladimir Z. Nuri wrote:
>[microcurrency]
>>It will also not catch on until there are better standards involving
>>microcurrency transactions amongst the vendors.  It would also help if
>>there was a single interface (or "helper app") for whatever vendor you
>>decided to go with.

I am not sure that is feasible. Single interface, perhaps. Sun's Java Wallet is  step in this direction. Single helper app, not a chance. The systems are too different, and do not share a sufficient number of properties, to use the same helper app.

>as I see it, I think there are a few key standards that need 
>to be devised: 
>
>1. an html tag that indicates how much a link costs, probably in
>the <a href="" cost=xx> type syntax

This could be done, but is, IMHO, too inflexible.

>2. modification of http to support a payment mechanism, by sending
>a token.

Take a look at PEP and UPP. This may not be what you are looking for, but it is a start.  Available at any IETF draft repository.
[...]

>>Currently every vendor of payment schemes has made it proprietary in some
>>way.  (At least the ones I have seen.)  This means that if the user visits
>>three different web pages, each using a payment scheme from a different
>>vendor, that user has to be signed up with all of those vendors.  (Or at
>>least have their helper apps.)

The systems are *not* interchangeable due to fundamental differences in the design. This is not a software/UI issue.

I do not expect the signup requirements to last much longer. To give just one example, take a look at the current discussions on dev-lucre, a list for the Unofficial Cypherpunks Implementation of Ecash. [Sorry, I don't have the archive URL.]

http://www.isaac.cs.berkeley.edu/ntlucre/ has the latest version.

The list is currently discussing an ActiveX Ecash control. With -lucre, you no longer need to sign up with an issuer. Assuming an ActiveX control, the client software installs itself. As to the merchant software, Stronghold already ships with Ecash support built in. Netscape has announce that Navigator will ship with CyberCash. There is definitely movement at the browser/server end.





-- Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred
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