Here are some neat ideas: If you and me both had one of these devices, we could connect them, and exchange our public keys. We could also exchange other public keys on our keyrings. Another useful thing it could do: watch the incoming rs-232 traffic for anything that looks like a public key. When one is detected, you would have the option of storing it on your keyring. It could have an LCD display, and then it could calculate a hash function of someone's public key and display it. This would make it easy to verify keys by phone or any other means. Instead of spelling out the 130-character alphanumeric sequence you would only need to verify a short (maybe about 8 to 12 digits) number. As someone mentioned, if something has a keypad and an LCD display, it can also be a calculator. And, if it has two RS-232 ports it could be a break-out box or a line analyzer. But I think this is creeping featurism. -- Yanek Martinson mthvax.cs.miami.edu!safe0!yanek uunet!medexam!yanek this address preferred -->> yanek@novavax.nova.edu <<-- this address preferred Phone (305) 765-6300 daytime FAX: (305) 765-6708 1321 N 65 Way/Hollywood (305) 963-1931 evenings (305) 981-9812 Florida, 33024-5819