Check Dark Exchange, p2px, bitcoinx. Dark Exchange is open source but I think it's kind of abandoned (lack of interest).
Just looked into your suggestions, p2px is vaporware, Dark Exchange holds promise as a simple p2p version of #bitcoin-otc or bitcoinary... -But not intended to do real time trading.Bitcoinx appears to be the whole enchilada, and it is an exchange for anything of value at all, but I don't know if it has real-time trading either. I'll talk to them about the specifics.
For these things to catch up I think you'd need traditional exchanges to completely stop working or be so unreliable people would need to hedge elsewhere.
Actually the way I've got it in mind, it can actually compete with the traditional exchanges, and additionally incentivize their own existence too, much like how bitcoin mining works.I'm ambivalent about it being a currency for the masses. I think an scenario where bitcoin is an alternative for a few million smart, conscious users is more than acceptable to me.
I figure that bitcoin was designed to fall right inbetween legal tender and local scrips:
However that is a worldwide projection, so we're certainly not talking about a few nerds here... That's mostly everyone on the internet. Bitcoin will always be the most desirable money for people online.
It will never achieve this vision with such horrible volatility of course, so I'm really thinking hard about how to solve this weak link to the puzzle.
Thanks again!
-Luke