From: ""Michael G. Reed"" <reed@itd.nrl.navy.mil>
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 95 15:28:25 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Netscape & Fortessa
Message-ID: <9510102227.AA05494@usonian.itd.nrl.navy.mil.>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


All-
	I remember there was some talk about Netscape adding Fortessa support
on here a couple of days ago, so I thought I'd share this.  Marc Andreessen
(president of technology for Netscape Communications) made a presentation
today at the 18th National Information Systems Security Conference about
Fortessa support within Netscape 2.0 to be shipping Beta Q2 '96 and final
the second half of '96 (I haven't seen an official press release, but he more
or less said they were announcing it today).  From his description, it looks
like they are going to place the Fortessa drivers right in the SSL layer
bypassing the software subsystem that currently exists in favor of the
hardware (the software subsystem would still be utilized for non-Fortessa
sessions).  He also commented that this was possibly a lead-in to other
hardware subsystems in the future.  General reaction (at least in my
immediate vicinity in the lecture hall) was quite positive -- looks like
Fortessa is gaining even more momentum (Oracle had a talk about Fortessa
support immediately after Netscape).  I wonder when Microsoft & company will
jump on the bandwagon? :-)

-Michael

 (The above statements are my opinions and do not necessarily represent the
  opinions of the Department of Defense, the US Navy, or the Naval Research
  Laboratory.)