Subject: In this day and age ...

From: Tim Moses <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 10:32:41 -0400

Colleagues - As I read RFC 2633, it uses normative language in Section 3.1
when discussing content-transfer encoding applied to MIME content prior to
security processing.  But, the language relating to content transfer
encoding applied to protected content is not normative.  Section 3.2 says
"Since CMS objects are binary data, in most cases base-64 transfer encoding
is appropriate".  That sounds like a SHOULD.

It seems to me that message-transfer agents commonly apply content-transfer
encoding to 8-bit data.  I am unsure whether they do this selectively or
whether they only apply it when needed.

I wonder whether it is still necessary for S/MIME to "recommend" the
application of content-transfer encoding to secured sub-parts.

Can anyone offer an informed view?  Thanks a lot.  All the best.  Tim.

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Tim Moses
613.270.3183

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From: Russ Housley <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 13:33:57 -0400

Tim:

Please take a look at draft-ietf-smime-rfc2633bis-05.  I believe that you 
will see improvements in this area.

Russ