ietf-dkim
[Top] [All Lists]

RE: Design approach to MASS (was Re: [ietf-dkim] On per-user-keying)

2005-08-12 07:52:31
You are a bit late on that one. Other groups are already building stuff
on top of DKIM key management. I have had more than one group ask me
what the least bad way of doing this would be.

I like a specification that is defined as a series of independent
modules with tightly defined interactions between them because that
leads to good code.

My view is that the DKIM protocol already meets that criteria. I think
the spec would read more clearly if it was structured in that fashion,
which to a large extent it already is.

-----Original Message-----
From: ietf-dkim-bounces(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org 
[mailto:ietf-dkim-bounces(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org] On Behalf Of John Levine
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 12:30 AM
To: ietf-dkim(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: Design approach to MASS (was Re: [ietf-dkim] On 
per-user-keying)


The signing and canonicalization process can be specified 
independent 
of key management components.  The current DKIM draft 
interleaves all 
of this throughout, when it does not need to be.  A simple 
restructuring of the document can fix this problem.

Since you asked for specific responses, I specifically 
respond that attempting to subdivide DKIM into independent 
subsections is a terrible idea. Please drop drop this 
pernicious proposal now.

The design point of the DKIM canon process is to come up with 
something that works for DKIM.  It most definitely is not to 
come up with some general process that might be useful for 
some other application that someone might think of in the 
future.  Ditto the key management.  Attempts to generalize 
designs beyond the applications they are intended for 
inevitably lead to heat death, which is why we need to stamp 
them out now.

If it turns out that there are future applications that can 
reuse parts of DKIM, that would be fine and they are welcome 
to plagiarize whatever we come up with.  But we must exclude 
such considerations from the effort at hand in order to have 
some chance of completing the project.

R's,
John

_______________________________________________
ietf-dkim mailing list
ietf-dkim(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org 
http://mipassoc.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf-dkim



_______________________________________________
ietf-dkim mailing list
ietf-dkim(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org
http://mipassoc.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf-dkim