"expert" mode and read-only features

[j at erf.sh]

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                                        2003.12.08 @ 09:50 -0800

* David Shaw <dshaw at jabberwocky.com> [2003.12.08 12:36 -0500]:
> On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 10:48:48AM +0100, Werner Koch wrote:
> > On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 09:49:24 +0200, Maxim Britov said:
> > 
> > > I think You should make read-only features as full enabled when I use "--expert".
> > 
> > The idea of the read-only features is to have most actual used
> > releases enabled to allow reading these option when eventually a new
> > release can create such options.
> 
> I'm rather surprised at how well this has worked out.  When 1.2.2
> added read-only SHA-256, I halfway expected a lot of people to
> immediately patch around it.  For whatever reason it hasn't happened
> (people don't actually care about SHA-256, don't understand the code,
> do understand the code but want to be conservative about hashes, etc)
> I'm pleased.

This seems quite reasonable, and quite in keeping with the tendency
toward extreme conservativeness when it comes to adventurous
cryptography.  I'm interested to know how you see the widespread
adoption of these hashes actually taking place though, if software
like GnuPG has the functionality write-disabled.

I have no opinion about this, I'm just curious.

cheers
J

- -- 
you see all the different thoughts  = 353
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