Peter:
I said that> PEM needs its own market niche.
Peter responded> It had one, which you, amongst others, derided. So the
promoters moved away from those who want to constantly discuss PGP and
analogue schemes. This floor is yours, by recent demonstration. How
many people are left active, Im not sure. the old PEM is doing fine,
elsewhere.
I came to this list looking to use PEM in a real commercial environment,
I was disappointed to find little that could be directly applied to that
environment. I still feel that PEM has a useful niche, that is the one
where a strict liability is required. But where is the old PEM now?..
and what uses is it put to? (ie. what applications does it fit?)
- - -
Peter> Its not useful to talk chalk and cheese; the aim of PEM is/was to
address the conventional Internet, only.
This is the one statement that I find most puzzling. What, in fact, are
the security needs of the conventional Internet? How is it that a fully
decentralized structure like the conventional Internet needs the strict
hierarchy of the old PEM? I personally feel that the only thing that I
ever "derided" here was the LACK of a clear aim for PEM. If new PEM
cannot do a better job at selecting an aim, it will not fair any better
than old PEM (IMHO).
- - - -
Peter> The "old-hierarchical PEM" is precisely the approach chosen for
DMS, and again we are in agreement; there is little choice,really, if
one really cares about privacy.
Do you really mean privacy, or non-repudiation? I get better privacy if
I control the whole structure, but that's just what the government is
trying to pre-empt. (They want to limit privacy to cases that they can
control.) IMHO PEM should treat privacy as a by-product of the one
thing that it does have, the assignment of liability.
- - - -
Peter> In fact, Tom, I think we are mainly in agreement in our analyses,
except you support a particular product line, and bias your arguments
occasionally.
Actually you are not correct in how I got to my current position. As I
said, I came here looking for a solution. AFTER I failed to find that
solution here, I went looking elsewhere and found what I wanted. So my
bias is solely in terms of my own personal understanding of what the
customers are willing to pay for. I will admit to a long string of
product attempts in the commercial marketplace, some successful, some
not, that, collectively, lead me to prejudge particular lines of
endeavor. I hope that you will allow me the right to call these
experience, rather than bias.
Peace ..Tom