Re: Edited Edupage, 24 March 1996

[Jeff Weinstein <jsw@netscape.com>]

Perry E. Metzger wrote:
> 
> Jeff Weinstein writes:
> > >         Any possibility that Netscape might build in some form of
> > >         cryptography?
> > > I realize ITAR rules would make this problematic, but perhaps some sort of
> > > out-of-country deal for putting in the hooks for PGPhone could be done.
> >
> >   The internet phone software is coming from one of the companies that
> > we are acquiring.  This is one obvious application of SSL that I will be
> > looking into after the merger is complete.
> 
> 1) I strongly suggest that SSL is *not* in its current form the right
>    technology, because internet phone type tools probably use UDP, not
>    TCP.

  I guess that is what I get for posting when too tired.  Certainly the
current SSL won't work for UDP based protocols.  Either we will have to
make a UDP version of SSL or use some existing protocol that gets the job
done.  Since our acquisition is not complete I haven't really had an
opportunity to talk to the streaming media guys yet...

> 2) I strongly hope that Netscape tries to move the product towards
>    standards based mechanisms like the IETF's RTP protocol, which are
>    in widespread use, rather than pushing yet more proprietary
>    systems. Proprietary is bad in this instance. I believe, by the
>    way, that several existing RTP implementations have encryption in
>    them.

  Here is a quote from a recent press release - "The Netscape LiveMedia
framework will be based on the Internet Realtime Transport Protocol (RTP),
RFC number 1889...".  The full release can be found at:

	http://home.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease81.html

I believe that the current product (which was developed by a company that we are
acquiring) will be migrated to RTP as soon as we can do it.

	--Jeff

-- 
Jeff Weinstein - Electronic Munitions Specialist
Netscape Communication Corporation
jsw@netscape.com - http://home.netscape.com/people/jsw
Any opinions expressed above are mine.