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Comment by haglin | Hacker News Reader

What we need is a cryptocurrency capable of handling microtransactions. Then we need web browser support (a standard) for a cryptocurrency wallet.

When you visit a web page, you can pay for the content by clicking Yes in a dialog box. When you don't have money in you wallet, you can fill it up using your credit card, or some bank solution. The price is shown in your currency of choice, but all the transactions happens on the blockchain.

People who make web pages can paste in some javascript to charge for content. No third party organization needs to get involved and the seller can't get charge backs. The transaction fee will be low so that you can charge pennies for a news article. This will work without you giving away you credit card number, name, address, e-mail etc. to the seller.

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Here you go:

https://brave.com/

https://basicattentiontoken.org/

Was about to post the same! Brave has some pretty cool upgrades incoming as well!

This solution seems to be addressing a problem completely different from what the author is discussing. How would using a cryptocurrency solution reduce monthly fees for subscriptions? How would it help reduce the aversion to paying for previously free content? How would it help with bundling?

Someone always have to pay, one way or the other.

With microtransactions you only pay for what you want to consume and you don't need 10+ different subscriptions. That is the benefit.

If you only want to spend 2 dollar a month, that's fine.

Good luck getting normal consumers to start using a cryptocurrency for this. Most of them will give up in utter confusion when they try to set up a wallet.

I see no reason the US dollar is unsuitable for microtransactions.

If it is built into the browser, it will not be harder than say cookies. When it comes to US dollars, you have to pay transaction fees and it can take days before the transaction is completed.

The user doesn't need to know what a cryptocurrency is, the dialog will be displayed in dollar, or whatever currency you happen to use in your country.

Today's system is more complicated. You have to create an account, confirm e-mail, remember your password, enter credit card number, address, expiration date etc.

But the user needs a wallet at some point, and the user needs to put money into the wallet so it can be spent. How can that part be hidden from the user?

Today's system may be complicated, but users understand it and are used to it.

You need ONE wallet and then you can use it for all sites. It's much, much easier.

Setting up the wallet doesn't need to be more complicated than setting up a card with Apple Pay. You don't need to understand the underlying technology to use it in millions of stores.

Today's system is like setting up Apple Pay every time you need to buy something in a store you have not visited before. It's a horrible user experience.

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