but I don't think we need to build pools that connect to p2pool -- why not just connect those pools straight to the main chain?
A mutually beneficial relationship?
They strengthen p2pool with hashing power.
The hashing power of p2pool gives the pool a fighting chance to grow and reduce the hegemony of the big three.
Variance can be brutal on small pools (including p2pool). It is a win-win.
I agree a dynamic protocol which adaptively splits and reforms p2pools to create multiple medium sized pools based on demand is ideal but who knows if/when that will be written. It likely can be done but it is a non-trivial problem and won't be written in a weekend.
p2pool will likely continue to grow rapidly and while block variance will continue to decline share variance will become a burden to small miners. Some may have interest in supporting p2pool indirectly. If they don't any "front end" pools will die and it is a non-issue. There is no magic one fit solution. It will take a lot of partial solutions to make a dent in deepbit's control over the network.
