[Opensim-users] Money in OpenSim-Worlds [was: Bitcoin]

[Cider Jack]

Hi Edmund,

"Actually I'm _offering_ to code something for free (DTL/NSL
integration with BitCoin or some other distributed currency system
that someone might suggest) so that other people can charge each
other. I'm then hoping that someone else would do the same to make the
viewer work better with what I'd code, although I'm hoping it would be
useful even if they didn't."

Truly in the spirit of Open Source! Sounds like a great idea. Not a
programmer here, and having no idea what you have in mind, I thought
I'd jump in uninvited with my own two cents if I may! What I have here
doesn't include buying/selling with "real" money, because I personally
don't see a way to integrate that in a decentralized manner. Not to
say it can't be done though, it's just a bit beyond me at the moment!

I visualize this being possible in two different ways: 1.requiring
client support or 2.not requiring client support.

1) Requiring client support: The server money module makes a call to
an encrypted/hashed/salted file of some sort on the client machine
that has the user's current account balance. It then rewrites and
re-encrypts the amount any time money is spent/received. It would be
stored on the client machine to avoid any sort of dependence on a
centralized resource, and the encryption would be encrypted to prevent
an individual user from artificially raising their own balance. The
major drawback here would be that the clients would need to support
this feature, and with the current state of client development this
may take some serious time. I think there would additionally be a
trust issue that we would have to know the viewers were "honest" after
the whole Emerald debacle. Not sure how that could be done, unless the
encryption/hashing/salting/whatever were somehow "hack-proof" (as if).

2) No client support required: The same idea, except the server money
module would be in charge of managing the account file. This makes
much more sense, wouldn't require any viewer support, and would
maintain decentralization. This to me sounds like the best option  of
the two.

If going with #1 here, the money might possibly be used on any grid
that is using any sort of credit system. If going with #2 the grid
owners would need only apply the money module to the code, and the
whole thing would pretty much be self-governing. Not to say there
wouldn't still be security issues, but it would take alot of pressure
off of individual grid owners who would like to provide an economic
functionality but don't want the headache of registering as a bank or
whatever.

I'm not sure how (without a way to buy SimCred (SimTokens? SimChips?
SimCash? SimCoins? SimBucks? SimBones?) with 'real' money) avatars
would get any money to start with. Perhaps it would be up to the
various grid owners to provide a 'sign-up bonus' of 1000 or so for a
new account, but how to prevent people from gaming this is another
challenge, especially in an environment like OSGrid where people
connect their own grids to the main grid...

As always, I may be entirely off the mark, so this can be considered
incoherent rambling (which it may very well be!), but I just thought
I'd put it out there - YMMV, FWIW, TIOLI, etc. Not to mention this
email is wayyy too short to try to include everything. Why yes, I am
on my fourth cup of coffee, why do you ask? ;)

Anyway, while BC's decentralized nature (and I personally think this
is an absolute MUST for any cross-grid currency system) is highly
appealing, I'm not too hot on the "mining" aspect. It seems somehow
inappropriate in an OpenSim context. But then maybe it would be more
appropriate in OS than it has been for BC.

Needless to say, I like the idea however it works out.

Cheers,
~!CJ