[brighton36]

IMO Counterparty is (still) the most underated technology in the crypto space. Since it utilizes the same addresses and Blockchain as Bitcoin, it has just as many users as does Bitcoin. The protocol is clearly tackling all the features that Ethereum has promised, and it works today. It's a fair comparison to suggest that Counterparty is to Bitcoin, what css is to html. They work together

[alphonse23]

> Since it utilizes the same addresses and Blockchain as Bitcoin, it has just as many users as does Bitcoin.

I don't think that's fair to say...

[drcode]

> it works today

No, it works on a testnet, just as ethereum currently does.

[brighton36]

Counterparty has a production release which is entirely functional, and in active use (I think they just hit 100k transactions). In fact, it's usually responsible for 1-2% of Bitcoin's daily transaction volume. The contract feature was just announced today, but Counterparty's development is very quick, and the feature will be in production soon, judging by their pace thus far. The project went from starting out in January, to securing the Overstock deal in November. Compared to Ethereum's glacial pace, I'd not be surprised if these contracts are in production before Ethereum even enters beta.

[drcode]

Yes, I agree this is likely to launch into production before ethereum does.