[cap-talk] Capability accounting

[Norman Hardy]

Oops I just noticed something that I should have replied to two days  
ago.

On Jun 23, 2006, at 5:14 AM, Ian G wrote:

> Hi Norman,
>
> Norman Hardy wrote:
>
>> I am extremely enthusiastic about introducing money into the system.
>> DSR <http://cap-lore.com/Economics/DSR/> even includes a 32 bit
>> money amount in most network packets.
>
> DSR, that's a blast from the old days :)
>
> Warning - all the below is quite "negative, cynical,
> critical."
>
>
>
> DSR almost certainly will not work.  I'd have to
> read it in full to be clear, but here are a few
> issues I spotted.
>
> 1. It has no security built in.  So it is in
> effect an accounting system where everyone has
> to participate and rely on everyone else.

Certainly not. You must trust only those you choose to do business with,
and then only with the trivial amounts they get their hands on.
This is in drastic contrast to Windows, Mac OS or Unix where you must
trust all of the other software on the machine and with "your whole  
life".

DSR does indeed require you to trust those network components
that you must cross to reach your partner, but only with pennies at a  
time.
Since usage patterns are interated the crooks best business plan may  
to steal
a few pennies from each of a few hundred customers, but then he is  
out of business.