In message <199403212033(_dot_)AA22464(_at_)harvey(_dot_)gte(_dot_)com> you
wrote
I think there are a number of good points to be made here. First,
if the message had been signed and the certificate contained
the nominal civil naming structure (perhaps with the e-mail name in addition),
no "digging" would have been necessary. The certificate would have said
in plain English, C=US, O=US Government, OU=Federal Reserve Board
(as opposed to the Federal Railroad Board, the Financial Review Board, or
the Future Retired Bureaucrats, etc.)
But the `OU=Federal Reserve Board' would still not have been meaningful to
those of us from across the pond who don't know what it is.
DN's are only unambiguous if you understand all of the components. Helmut Kohl
(Chancellor of Germany), Kenneth Clarke (Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK)
and Princess Anne (Chancellor of the University of London) have very different
roles.
--
Andrew Young Work:
A(_dot_)Young(_at_)cs(_dot_)ucl(_dot_)ac(_dot_)uk
Department of Computer Science Tel: 071 387 7050 x3688
University College London Home:
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