From: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May) It's just that my "rant buttons" are pushed by an argument I'll call the "crypto isn't being used by enough people, so we'll have to make our own lives harder to set an example" argument. Let me review the exact proposal. First, a recognizer is set up at toad.com to distinguish between digitally signed and unsigned messages. Second, some action on the message would be taken, which would gradually increase in effect over time. The first action would be to add a header to the end of the mail identifying it as unsigned. A later action would be to delay the mail at the server for some amount of time. A final action would be to delete or bounce messages that weren't signed. I note that Tim is not objecting to the nature of these effects, but rather their existence, especially since he is not addressing the timing of any ramped up vigor at the server. Just to set the record straight, refusing messages would be at the very least over year away, and certainly wouldn't be taken until crypto mail readers were widely available. For purposes of discussion then, I leave out message deletion and only address the server actions of notification and delay. One underlying premise of Tim's argument is that the presence of these actions at the server makes his life harder. In what way? The server will not require a digital signature. Unsigned messages will still be sent to the list. There need be no change in the way that one sends and receives mail. I refuse the argument that toad.com server actions make anybody's life harder. I'm not saying that these server actions would have no effect, far from it. The effects are all in the social realm and have far more to do with peer pressure and social position than with technology. Can it be said that being marked as a non-signer makes one's life harder? I think not, perhaps others feel otherwise. I do, however, agree with the other two premises of Tim's hypothetical. I do think that crypto isn't being used by enough people. I realize that the exact meaning of 'enough' is subjective, so let me rephrase. I do think that crypto is being used by fewer people than I want. I also believe that setting an example is a good thing, because it signals an achievable task to those who are considering doing it. When I first proposed server actions last year, it was with the full realization that I wouldn't be signing my own posts and would thereby be subject to the delay (the first-proposed action). This post isn't signed either. Eric