From: cman@communities.com (Douglas Barnes)
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 95 14:17:14 PDT
To: sameer <sameer@c2.org>
Subject: Re: JCrypt (was: getting netscape to support the remailers)
Message-ID: <v02120d08ac8f7bd3198e@[199.2.22.120]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


>        That was what I was thinking as well. I am confused by
>Netscape's java support though.. I haven't seen very many details. Is
>netscape going to only support applets or can you add stuff to the
>runtime as well? In order to use jcrypt one needs access to add stuff
>to the runtime I beleive.

Currently jcrypt is implemented as a glue layer on top of RSAREF.
This means it has to be accessed through native methods. Also,
in general, one doesn't want to be downloading trusted security code
every time one uses it, even if it has strong authentication (and
this hasn't been built into Java yet.)

So there are two questions:

  o Will netscape allow local trusted Java code to be invoked
    by downloaded applets?
  o Will netscape support native methods in such code?

I would _greatly_ prefer to implement the jcrypt code in 100%
java, but there are legal barriers to doing this where RSA is
patented. JCrypt, however, is designed to allow the native
methods to be replaced with Java should someone desire to do
that.

Also, there are other architectural concerns involving the
direct or indirect invocation of local trusted encryption code
by untrusted, downloaded software, which will be addressed
somewhat in the next release of JCrypt.

>
>>
>> >     I started thinking about what it would take to get Netscape
>> >  to support sending mail through the remailers, after having
>> >  read the S/MIME specs which Netscape 2.0 is apparently going to
>> >  support. Perhaps with enough browbeating Netscape 3.0 will support
>> >  the remailers.
>>
>> Netscape doesn't need to support remailers explicitly since Netscape
>>will be
>> supporting Java.  I think a remailer client is within Java's
>>capabilities...
>> Anyone disagree?
>>
>> andrew
>>
>
>
>--
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