[erlang-questions] Lets build a stock exchange!

[G Bulmer]

> From: Joel Reymont <joelr1@REDACTED>
...
> I want you to start an Amazon EC2 instance and join the "Hardcore
> Erlang" cluster.
>
> I want to build the biggest Erlang cluster in the world and push
> Erlang to its limits.
How big would that be?

> I want to build a stock exchange and show you how to do it.
Why not build something that we could use?

> And of course I want to write a book about it.
As long as it's interesting, the more the merrier.

> The focus of the book is not changing, it's still fault-tolerance,
> scalability, distribution, etc.
I'd like to read about that.

> What's changing is the software the
> book is built around. Reading about how to build a stock exchange sure
> as hell beats reading about a poker server.
I agree, poker is a bit dull.

> What do you think?

Sorry to be out of step, but I'd prefer something that *I* could  
imagine using.

How about a replacement for eBay auctions (or is Erlang what the e  
mans now?-)? eBay has fault-tolerance, scale, distribution challenges.
I could sell my old programming books, which have become useless to  
me, now that I have started using Erlang ;-)

Craig's list (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/) has shown that a free  
classified-ads system can become popular in over 50 countries.
Go the next step, and provide classified ads and auctions.

To make it more fun, you could provide several bidding systems, not  
just highest bidder, like Dutch Auction, etc.
There has been some pretty sneaky work on designing auctions (a well  
known one was the scheme used by the UK government when selling the  
3G mobile phone spectrum), so there is lots of scope for extending  
and enhancing the business-process side if anyone wants to do that.

Anyone who sells anything at auction could use it. Probably payment  
would be pushed off to paypal, or any other payment mechanism.

A good solution would support 'live auctions', and keep the bids in  
sequence.

It'd have some of the challenges of a stock market, but you'd avoid  
having to provide liquidity to make it useable (I realise your focus  
is a book, but wouldn't you like millions of people to use the  
software?).

Just a thought,
G Bulmer