Por cierto, la mejor opinión que he encontrado hasta la fecha sobre ripple, y que de momento comparto casi al 100%
Let me first state that I have nothing but respect and admiration for the Ripple team, especially Arthur, Jed, Stefan, and JoelKatz.
However, here's how I see it in comparison to Bitcoin. My issues can be broken into three parts:
1: Functionality and PurposeRipple is promoted as a "way to send any currency to anyone." Yet it is not this. It is simply a way to send IOU's of fiat currency to anyone, and this is a very different proposition.
Bitcoin, on the other hand, is a way to transact actual assets - or more specifically, one asset called Bitcoin. It moves beyond fiat currency entirely, and because it moves the actual asset anywhere instantly, there is no need for IOU's.
Ripple may be a great way to trade in normal fiat currencies, but I don't really care to do that anymore, now that Bitcoin exists. Yes, it's true that Ripple has XRP which is a cryptocurrency with many similar features to Bitcoin, but it offers no advantage over Bitcoin, and thus why do I care to use it? I might as well use LiteCoin
2: SecurityRipple supporters will say that XRP is superior because it doesn't require mining, but this is a seriously contentious issue - let's remember that the Bitcoin mining process is not arbitrary. It introduces a specific
type of security based on proof of work. While Ripple removes the proof of work concept, it may not require burning CPU cycles, but it is thus not protected by any proof of work system. Maybe proof of work isn't necessary, but Ripple will need to prove that over time, whereas Bitcoin's system has proven amazingly resilient over four years in the wild, with every hacker in the universe trying to exploit it.
3: CentralizationRipple is far more centralized than Bitcoin. I worry if it took off, it'd suffer the same fate as eGold. It's very unclear what power OpenCoin (the company behind Ripple) actually holds over the system. Today, OpenCoin holds basically all power. They claim that in the future OpenCoin will "release" this power out into the wild and the company will no longer be centrally important. I am extremely skeptical of this. I'm also extremely skeptical that OpenCoin can't/won't create more XRP's, and it bothers me that it's structured in a way to dish out the existing XRP's from a central postion (I see uncomfortable similarities with how central banks operate, though I'm not ideologically opposed to Ripple since it's voluntary).
Further, I think the following is a fair statement: Any company that enables private (non ID verified) person-to-person transactions will be taken down by the US government, period. I believe it is far more likely that OpenCoin/Ripple will be forced to submit to the regulatory apparatus, and will at some point (though its advocates will deny this) require ID verification and all the AML/KYC compliance that a company like Paypal faces. If they do this, the system is pointless. If they don't comply, they will have to close and Ripple will be on its own. I am unsure what kind of community is there to support and build Ripple in the future if the OpenCoin company shut down, as its early-phase development has been structured like a startup (with the founders earning salary and getting paid in "stock" ie - XRP's).
Now, none of my contentions mean Ripple will fail, but I am simply skeptical of its future. Frankly, Ripple may have been exciting before Bitcoin happened... but then Bitcoin happened.
..es muy informativa. Participan en ella varios defensores de Ripple importantes, así como gente muy conocida de la comunidad bitcoin.