Thanks Don.
I do believe there are some premises that make recreational diving pretty safe. Direct access to the surface, not carrying a gas that will kill you because of MOD and all gas is donatable. If we don't mess with those concepts we avoid a lot of pitfalls that technical training/experience is needed for.
I think most people dive ponies for one main reason, whether they are solo or not, because they want a bailout gas source that isn't attached to another person. But the pony still basically serves the same purpose that an octo from a buddy would - gas in case of primary failure. That being the case, and assuming one is diving recreational profiles, I also believe in all other respects that source should maintain the same parameters.. donatable and immediately accessible. That way, a pony does not create a new paradigm for the recreational divers and fits seamlessly into what is expected in that realm.