[gnutls-devel] gnutls_certificate_verify_peers* question

[Juho Vähä-Herttua]

I completely agree that the identities in TLS are not verified until both ends have finished verifying each others' verify messages. However, I simply can't resist commenting on this (originally already a bit off-topic) analogy:

On 19.2.2013, at 15.59, Peter Williams <home_pw at msn.com> wrote:
> If you go to a math exam and show 30m worth of workings but make a tiny adding error at the last step getting the wrong answer, you still get 0 points on the score. There are no points for correct workings. The bridge fell down.

It depends a lot on the case, but I would say in the general math exam case this kind of grading should be at least questioned. 30m of correct workings should show on the answer and therefore it would be reasonable for it to result in some small amount of points. Especially if the counterexample of accidentally correct answer with wrong process had any chance of getting more than 0 points (even if it's because of a mistake by the person doing grading), I would say the exam is pedagogically questionable.

In cryptography (and naturally in some other areas as well) getting full points every time is crucial, but in most areas of life not so much. In schools I have gone to, there indeed are points for correct workings, and that has had no notable negative effect on the quality of education. Just bringing this up in case you weren't aware.


Juho

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