Apple planning to use Clipper chip?
Scott Collins
collins at newton.apple.com
Mon Aug 30 12:28:48 PDT 1993
I do not, in any capacity, speak for Apple. But...
>Apple even discussed the
>pricing and said that if the Clipper/Skipjack chip could be sold to
>them for less than $30, they could "design it into every Mac."
Based on long experience with Macs and Mac software (system and otherwise),
I think this is highly unlikely.
1. Apple has a history of following the 'software only' approach in general.
2. Apple loudly and often touts compatability across its entire line.
3. 3rd party Mac developers have little incentive to write software with mass
appeal (e.g., communications software) but limited applicability (because of
hardware requirements).
4. If the software isn't pre-installed in your system, then unless it comes from
Microsoft, such a 'questionable' standard is probably avoidable.
5. Therefore, for a standard to emerge on the Mac... 1) Apple would have to
begin producing machines that contained this chip; 2) Apple would have to
produce special system software, explicitly for this class of machines,
that used this chip; 3) Apple would have to produce compelling end-user
communications software that used clipper services on this class of machines
and either didn't run at all on earlier hardware, or didn't use clipper
technology.
It is unlikely that a 3rd party would do it, or have any impact if it did.
But Apples history is scalable software that runs on every machine (ala
QuickTime). If Apple wanted to introduce privacy enhancement technology in
its system, it seems economically and historically more probable that it
would simply license RSA/DES/etc technology and roll in a software only
service.
This is my opinion, based solely on my nine years of experience as
Macintosh developer.
To paraphrase Columbo: "It's my experience, sir, that people rarely do
things they don't *usually* do." ...which may sound obvious, but then you
*saw* the killer do it in the first 10 minutes...
Scott Collins | "Few people realize what tremendous power there
| is in one of these things." -- Willy Wonka
......................|................................................
BUSINESS. voice:408.862.0540 fax:974.6094 collins at newton.apple.com
Apple Computer, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop, MS 301-2C Cupertino, CA 95014
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PERSONAL. voice/fax:408.257.1746 1024:669687 catalyst at netcom.com
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