Can you summarize here what the original concept was and how it differs from the current implementation? I couldn't really understand that from just the wikipedia page.
The original concept of Ripple was simple: you and your friends float your own "currencies". But who will accept your currency outside your small circle of friends?
Well, the ripple concept comes from the system's ability to "ripple" payments across networks of different asset holders, at rates set by the users and/or exchange markets that the system permits.
It's pretty amazing to see how well it works in real life.
