More I think about rate-limited blockchains, more I like them. We could really create an awesome ecosystem with them.
The gambling chain was my first idea. But anything else? Everyone, put your thinking hats on!
IoT projects maybe. They need microtransactions, and if they can make them without paying
any fees at all, that's pure win. Fast and free transactions are exactly what IoT needs. We can offer that for them.
Bytemaster's idea of mutual aid societies might be also suitable for it's own blockchain, although I'm not sure if it will need a rate-limited one.
But then there is the essential question:
"What is the role of Bitshares blockchain in this ecosystem?"Answer: Exchange, bank and gateway. In the other words, the financial platform. Other chains can focus on doing their job, whatever that is they want to achieve, and leave handling of finances for Bitshares. Investing, fiat-gateway, crowfunding, exchange for traders, etc. They can also enjoy positive network effects by hiring our witnesses to be witnesses for their sidechains.
@bytemaster talked also in the latest hangout about this article:
Why your Ethereum project will most likely fail...but he remembered it a little bit wrong: he talked about
"why ethereum will fail" but that wasn't the point. The point was that
ethereum dapps will fail. Most projects are not going to be valuable enough when compared to their centralized equivalents. People might try them but in the end they will choose centralized one because it will just work better overall.
Ethereum will probably do just fine. They are the one who is selling shovels for golddiggers. There will be always ideas what to build on Ethereum platform, so it's not going to fail anytime soon. There is huge demand.
We could see Bitshares like that, too. We will be the financial platform that servers all the sidechain projects. Many of them will fail because they can't attract enough customers because they just don't have a good enough product. But there will be lots of them and Bitshares can make shitload of money by serving them while they exists. Preferably they all should be Graphene-based, so that sidechaining is easy to implement and it will also make money for Cryptonomex.
Offtopic: Thom, Oren Klaff's book Pitch Anything is great stuff.