From: nelson@crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Date: Sat, 16 Sep 95 18:45:50 PDT
To: remailer-operators@c2.org
Subject: RE: Commercial Mixmaster
In-Reply-To: <199509161921.MAA05294@infinity.c2.org>
Message-ID: <m0su8nK-000H93C@ns.crynwr.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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   Date: Sat, 16 Sep 1995 12:21:04 -0700
   From: "syrinx@c2.org (Syrinx Anonymous Remailer)" <syrinx@c2.org>

   The concern is not "commercialization", per se, but rather the use
   of "commercialization" as an excuse to build in "proprietary"
   features (Back doors?) for which no corresponding source code is
   involved.

And the chief concern with the Clipper chip?  That it was secret.  In
the crypto world, secret == untrustable.  Who would use a remailing
network that was not trustable?  Who would use it when every
cypherpunk says not to?

   Since no one has made a good case for there even being a COMMERCIAL
   market for Mixmaster, could there be other motives?

Value is created by seeing a market that no one else sees.  Obvious
markets have low margins, and they're getting lower and lower as
computers help implement the obvious.

   Without building an anonymous e-$ infrastructure first, there's no
   way to even charge for the use of a remailing service without
   sacrificing anonymity, even if people were willing to pay to have
   messages anonymously remailed.

Maybe someone *does* see a way to create system?  If *you* knew,
would you tell everyone about it?  Or would you implement it, and rake
in the bucks?

   No, I'm not accusing Lance.  But if he no longer has the time to
   support Mixmaster, then perhaps some other crypto-friendly group
   should take over the task and keep it an OPEN system, with source
   code available.  In fact, even freezing Mixmaster as is would be
   preferable to "improvements" that people don't/can't trust.

Since you have no reputation to impugn, I feel free to be rude: "Put
up or shut up."  If you have the resources to improve Mixmaster so
that it's easy to use, do it.  If not, please don't stand in the way
of people who *do* have the resources.

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-- 
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/~nelson
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