What are some minimalist projects in the crypto space for digital cash alternatives?
Up to now I've made an effort to use cash to not broadcast my every movement to my bank. But as I see cash being phased out around my area I become more motivated to make an effort to contribute to the adoption of crypto, because that's a potential solution.
What are some good projects in the space that strive to replace cash? I don't care about the smart contracts, escrow, nfts, etc. I would like to have something that I can conveniently use for day-to-day transactions just like cash in the utopia in which this cryptocurrency is widely adopted. Whether the 'value' of that coin will go up or down is irrelvant, but I do care about the existence of a community working towards its adoption in real-case scenarios, and for the project to be actively developed.
Any recommendations of projects I might want to look at?
Thanks! My experience with both of these was that transactions would take time and would cost money. A friend showed me Bitcoin's Lighting Network and that was an improvement. But being built as a layer on top of the original network is too complicated for my simple mind, and I think that there was a fee associated with the transfer too. I am looking for a project that uses a minimalistic approach without the bulk. It doesn't have to be widely available.
Maybe things have improved with Bitcoin and Ethereum since I tried them. If a friend pays $10 for a pizza to share and I want to send him $5 right away, is it simple to do this with either Bitcoin or Ethereum? Or will it cost me an additional $2.5?
Also, if I want to pay for my groceries. Can I pay with either of these quickly and walk away, or would I need to stand by the payment terminal for 10 minutes until the transaction goes through?
I am thinking about the "ideal world" in which the specific tech is widely adopted. Obviously as it stands today you can't pay with crypto at the grocery at all.