BofA+Netscape

[Bob Snyder]

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At 4:18 PM 12/13/94, Jim McCoy wrote:
>> The plug for crypto that they have placed in Netscape 0.96 is
>> the number one force bringing crypto awareness to the masses.
>
>Increasing use of PGP is the number one force bringing crypto awareness to
>the masses, Netscape is just bringing bad crypto to the masses.

No.  I could see the argument that PGP is bringing crypto to the masses.  I
can't see it bring crypto-awareness to the masses.  In order to find and use
PGP, you have to already be concern about privacy and cryptography.

Netscape, on the other hand, by popping up the alert that this traffic isn't
being encrypted, and may be evesdropped, is and will get the common folk to
think about data security and confidentiality.  A lot more people will probably
use Netscape than PGP, and the people who use Netscape are the people to whom
the wonders of encryption need to be shown.

As to whether Netscape's crypto is good or bad, I'll leave that to the
chest-pounding "IETF is life.  IPSP should be all you need to be happy" folk. 
Personally, I'd prefer a standards based scheme, and it looks like the NCC folk
are looking that way, despited the unwarranted abuse they are getting.

>No, the correct response is to stop idotic measures before the build up
>enough inertia behind them to make it difficult to prevent mistakes from
>being made.  It is interesting that the creators of Netscape quite
>frequently harp on "it is us against the goliath of Microsoft, so we
>deserve the support of the net" and then they go out and do exactly the
>sort of thing that makes Microsoft so unpopular; they take advantage of
>thier market position to force bad technology on others.

They've said they are investigating it.  They are here, and they are listening,
and looking into it.  What do you want of them?

Bob
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--
Bob Snyder N2KGO                               MIME, PGP, RIPEM mail accepted
snyderra at post.drexel.edu                      PGP & RIPEM keys on key servers
         When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.