People aren't going to like what I'm going to say but it needs to be said regardless.

The only way bitcoin or any other alternative currencies will become mainstream is if enough infrastructure is built around it.

Person A sending bitcoins to person B (irreversibly) is simply not going to cut it. There is no inherent trust between both parties. We need 3rd party business (banks, insurers,lenders, exchanges etc) to build trust.

A lot of people around here hate banks, but they are important in the world of finance. They facilitate trust between parties.

ie. if i send $500 to a person and he doesn't deliver the product I bought. Thanks to irreversability of transactions, I'm fuckt.

But if the transaction is handled by a 3rd party, they should be able to get my money back.

Of course this system has faults, but economy is consumer driven. The producer is there to satisfy the consumer, not vice versa.