From: sharborth@hai-net.com
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 95 14:56:15 PDT
To: rsalz@osf.org>
Subject: Re: Netscape's random numbers
Message-ID: <9508198115.AA811559884@houston_cc_smtp.hai-net.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



      Congrats, nice job!
      
      The Netscape license explicitly prohibits decompiling (except where such 
      prohibition is illegal).  When this hits the media it will be important to 
      avoid being tarred with the "hacker breaks rules and breaks in" brush. 
      More subtly, it's probably a bad idea to call into question the overall 
      business model of client binaries on the net.
     
So.  At least they're honest and let everbody know.


      Instead, emphasize importance of open code, public reviews, ability to 
      link in your own code that meets public specs, etc.  All of these things 
      the Internet was designed to do, and U.S. ITAR regulations are designed to 
      prohibit (globally, anyway).  And also that the bad guys will never play 
      by the rules.  And re-emphasize that solutions are possible, just that the 
      U.S. government prevents them from being deployed in a global economy.
      
      
Here, here!

      Perhaps draw parallels to the recent Microsoft Word virus.
      
      /r$
      
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W.S. "Skip" Harborth
Manager & Senior Engineer
Information Systems Security Engineering
Houston Associates,  Incorporated
4601 North Fairfax Dr, Suite 1001
Arlington, Virginia  22203    USA
(703) 284-8732     812-5099 (fax)
sharborth@hai-net.com


The opinions expressed are my own and have no relation to my employer.
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