Re: Cache, Cert Creation and Keychains

On 1 Dec 2011, at 18:55, Peter Williams wrote:

> the revision introduces concepts that are alien to most of us, and having no bearing in requirements analaysis of the last year - at least as documented in mailing list minutes of meetings and other comments.

https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/WebID/rev/5b0128d1dbd1

I have now updated the language so that it is clear that we are no trying to get into a debate about keychain protocols. Rather the notion of a KeyChain is added to help make certain distinctions that make certain questions disappear. It also is a lot closer to how software actually works.

A Key Chain agent can return certificates to authorized <tref>Clients</tref> and can sign cryptographic tokens with the corresponding key. This protocol does not specify where that agent is: it could be that the <tref>Client</tref> contains his own Key Chain or it could be that the Key Chain is a seperate process on the Operating System.



>  
> Remember, your PRIMARY audience is a security engineer. If it says "key chain agent" and there exists a "protocol" between client and such agent, this is all  very material to the programmer.
>  
> You just expanded the scope, introducing a protocol that didnt even exist till yesterday. When someone looks at my client (IE) they will find no key chain, and no "key chain agent" and no protocol between the IE ssl client (a library called sspiclient) and said agent. My code now looks like its missing elements (i..e is incomplete).
>  
> Now, reading between the lines, I suspect I can guess who is driving that change (and the very phrasing gives a STRONG hint of what traditional "cryptopolitical issue" is driving its "introduction").  I can also note the shift in technical language use in the last 3 weeks. Its better, and much tighter. The reviewers are doing a good job. The language shift also gives hints about the new mindset.
>  
> 
>  
> > From: henry.story@bblfish.net
> > Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2011 17:16:51 +0100
> > To: public-xg-webid@w3.org
> > Subject: Cache, Cert Creation and Keychains
> > 
> > I added text on all the above topics to the spec in mercurial.
> > 
> > See the diff
> > https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/WebID/rev/7a2859e0ab06
> > 
> > Henry
> > 
> > Social Web Architect
> > http://bblfish.net/
> > 
> >

Social Web Architect
http://bblfish.net/