From: John K Clark (johnkc@well.com)
Date: Thu Jan 22 1998 - 12:03:26 MST
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On Thu, 22 Jan 1998 Charlie Stross <charlie@antipope.org> Wrote:
>It [the market] works better than any of the known alternatives,
>I'll concede that much. Question: why the hell isn't anyone looking
>for new, hitherto-unknown, alternatives?
It's true that there are an infinite number of systems, and it's also
true that due to a bad chip in my Quantum Computer I have been unable to
examine each and every system individually. I have however managed to examine
all the simple ones, and the vast majority of systems can be eliminated
immediately because they are too complicated to be of any use.
If I want to sell something, and you want to buy, we agree on a price and
make the exchange, end of story. It's understandable to both of us, it's
simple, it's elegant, it works. A system that was as simple as the market and
worked as well, would have been found by now, and as I have not heard any
reports of this interesting development, leads me to believe that it does not
exist. A protocol that needs 10 years of super computer time before I can buy
a can od beer is not better than the market, regardless of what it's other
virtues may be.
John K Clark johnkc@well.com
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