Zcash is what zerocoin has become (same developers). The hopes of getting something like this into bitcoin... may still be possible, but would require agreement

Zcash is what zerocoin has become (same developers). The hopes of getting something like this into bitcoin... may still be possible, but would require agreement amongst miners and developers. Something that seems unlikely right now. The separate altcoin is the smartest way to experiment with it for now at least.