From: mccoy@io.com (Jim McCoy)
Date: Tue, 13 Dec 94 14:18:53 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: BofA+Netscape
In-Reply-To: <199412131914.LAA26551@netcom10.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <199412132218.QAA06065@pentagon.io.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


jamesd@netcom.com (James A. Donald) writes:
[regarding Netscape and IETF work...]
> 
> Perry, they are not in trouble.  They are the number one supplier
> of the internet killer app.

They are the supplier of the current app-du-jour.  What things look lie in
five months is another issue completely.

> The plug for crypto that they have placed in Netscape 0.96 is
> the number one force bringing crypto awareness to the masses.

Increasing use of PGP is the number one force bringing crypto awareness to
the masses, Netscape is just bringing bad crypto to the masses.

> He said that Netscape would look at IPSP when it was beyond
> the "near" phase. [...]  The correct response is "Gee that is great.
> Here are some working demo systems, and some slabs of documentation."

No, the correct response is to stop idotic measures before the build up
enough inertia behind them to make it difficult to prevent mistakes from
being made.  It is interesting that the creators of Netscape quite
frequently harp on "it is us against the goliath of Microsoft, so we
deserve the support of the net" and then they go out and do exactly the
sort of thing that makes Microsoft so unpopular; they take advantage of
thier market position to force bad technology on others.

jim