Subject: XML ACs Was Re: Objections to advancing the attribute certificate authentication draft

From: "Anders Rundgren" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 13:18:16 +0200

Hi,
Not that I believe that ACs have any value but an XML solution would be simlar
to BizTalk.  I.e. a generic header format holding an arbitrary XML shema-defined
document holding the actual attributes.  In that way you achieve the flexibility to let every
type of digital relationship define a unique (and from other definitions clearly
separable) set of attributes and corresponding interpretation.  I.e. instead of
the misery we have today trying to find out where e-mail addresses in PKCs are
stored, you either a priori know a certain attribute schema or you just reject it. 
An AC XML draft could though suggest suitable formats for encrypted items etc.

Anders

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From: Michael Ströder <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 13:55:44 +0200

Anders Rundgren wrote:
> I.e. instead of

Disclaimer: Anders, maybe I totally misunderstood you.

So what's the difference in using ASN.1 or XML? I mean that's what
standards are all about. Defining non-proprietary a-priori knowledge
for applications.

The misery today with RFC822 email adresses is that they were not
present in those old X.500 (especially X.521) days.

Ciao, Michael.