I0C
Namecoin - not quite a fail for the service it's meant to provide, but other than that is a "single purpose coin" and shouldn't be taken into the account of an alternative currency.
How is Namecoin single purpose if it's able to do more stuff than any other coin yet? Pretty ridiculous to liken Solidcoin to silver instead of Namecoin, as it doesn't serve any purpose other than being a currency. Not to mention that NMC are worth more than SLC.
Worth more? For the time NMC has been around it worth pretty much nothing. Value/Time around, not just "nominal value".
And yes, it's a "just a currency" because that's what currencies are for; be "just a currency". You don't have a coin for groceries, other coin for clothing, other coins for coffee... etc. Have an attached sole purpose is what makes NMC NOT a currency, it's like a casino chip, just has some value inside that casino for the games it suits and that's all.