BitPay's Zero-Confirmation Instant Payments

[Sub-Ether]

Thanks to coins101 for spotting this, Bitpay are big players, what do you guys think of inter-channel payments using the newly developed 'impulse' system? (looks like a centralized payment system with the guarantor as Bitpay to me)
'Party Bperates payment channel server (bitpay)

Bitpay proposes zero confirmation solution for faster Bitcoin transactions and introduces clearing operator between the two interacting parties.
http://cointelegraph.com/news/113409/bitpay-proposes-zero-confirmation-instant-payments-solution
Bitpay has taken aim at solving the issue of slow confirmations on the Bitcoin network by proposing an open-standard “Impulse” system based on multiple payment channels. Designed to be “as trustless as possible,” the network would gather immediately available funds through previously confirmed payment channels.

The white paper with Inter-channel payments (impulse)
http://impulse.is/impulse.pdf

 

[vertoe]

- not decentralized, using central processor
- not trustless, using a third party
- not anonymous, using no darkcoin

 

[fernando]

I think I read a similar proposal in the past by Green Address (or something like that). These type of solutions only work for certain addresses (those previously cleared) to pay to certain addresses (those using BitPay). It is not in the protocol, so it is not nearly as good as Darkcoin's solution.

 

[Sub-Ether]

So basically, its more centralized high points of failure with no anonymity then.