Re: Loops (RE: CPIM changes)

Dave Crocker <[email protected]> writes:

> interaction between systems that do different encodings of the canonical
> form have actually been fielded?  that would be seriously cool!

I think we're talking past each other about "canonical form".  In the
PGP case, there is a well-defined "this is how you take a text message
and transform it before taking the hash for a signature".  What you
get as output from PGP at that point is a standalone signature.  You
can then send the text message by any lossless method along with the
signature, and the signature is verified on the other end.

For example, I can take a text message, text-sign it, then compress
the message, uuencode it, and email you the uuencoded, compressed
message and the PGP signature in two MIME parts.  You can then verify
the signature after you uudecode and uncompress the message.

This has worked since the mid-90s, across different systems.

> d/

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       [email protected]                        PGP key available



  [reminder: [email protected] for non-technical discussions, please]