Re: Signed XML or XML Signatures Re: XML versus ASN.1/DER blob

At 07:32 PM 4/20/99 , John Boyer wrote:
>Hi Donald,
>
>>### In an XML standard, things should be in XML tags.  If you want to do
>>PKCS#7 signatures that make some use of XML packaging, you can.  Just don't
>>pretend they are XML signatures.
>
>
>I don't think there is a need for pretending.  The workshop we just did was
>on "Signed XML".  We're trying to figure out how to sign XML.  This is a
>logically distinct concept from how we choose to express the signature.

As I pointed out in a previous message, I think there is confusion in the
air over whether the discussion embodies:

1. How to sign XML

2. An XML-based syntax for representing arbitrary signed resources.

My observation is that various groups are addressing one or the other
problem, assuming the other is either out of scope or not worth addressing.
 So a lot of "talking past" each other is going on.  As I said previously,
I personally think both things are important to address.  I also think
correspondents need to be clear which problem they are addressing.

Alan
___________________________________________________________________________
Alan Kotok, Associate Chairman                          mailto:kotok@w3.org
World Wide Web Consortium                                 http://www.w3.org
MIT Laboratory for Computer Science,  545 Technology Square,  Room NE43-409
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA     Voice: +1-617-258-5728    Fax: +1-617-258-5999

Received on Wednesday, 21 April 1999 14:59:19 UTC