Re: Apple planning to use Clipper chip?

[paul@poboy.b17c.ingr.com (Paul Robichaux)]

I agree 100% with what Scott had to say about Apple's past history. My
own experience as a Mac owner and developer bears him out.

However, Apple *does* have a set of software to allow digital
signatures for documents and mail- AOCE. 

1. Apple has a history of releasing software which *can* take
advantage of special hardware available on newer machines (i.e. Color
QuickDraw, the Sound Manager, which allows recording sounds directly
on machines with built-in mikes), but which is still
backwards-compatible.

2. AOCE already includes RSA for digital signatures; using the
Component Manager, it could conceivably take advantage of a
Capstone/Clipper ASIC on the motherboard or on an expansion card (or a
PCMCIA slot, or whatever.)

3. Third-party developers have little reward in developing an API for
something like digital signatures, but there are great rewards in
writing software which supports Apple's API. Look at the ongoing
competition between video codecs for an example.

Theorem A: just because Apple _can_ do something is no reason to think
they _will_, especially when the benefits are questionable (as they
certainly are here!)

Theorem B: Even *if* (and I stress that one little word) Apple put a Capstone
into every Macintosh, that doesn't mean *you* have to use it. Since
AOCE supports plug-in encryption & signature technology, you can roll
your own (and I see a good market in doing so.)

While the proof of both of the above must be left to future readers,
I'm not too concerned. A meta-note: let's keep all the FSF wrangling
someplace else. It's really not appropriate here.

-Paul

-- 
Paul Robichaux, KD4JZG     | "Change the world for a better tomorrow. But
perobich@ingr.com          |  watch your ass today." - aaron@halcyon.com
Intergraph Federal Systems | Be a cryptography user- ask me how.