NODE 6e5b345fNetscape's random numbers
Rich Salz <rsalz@osf.org>Mon, 18 Sep 95 09:23:10 PDT
Congrats, nice job!
The Netscape license explicitly prohibits decompiling (except where such
prohibition is illegal). When this hits the media it will be important
to avoid being tarred with the "hacker breaks rules and breaks in" brush.
More subtly, it's probably a bad idea to call into question the overall
business model of client binaries on the net.
Instead, emphasize importance of open code, public reviews, ability to
link in your own code that meets public specs, etc. All of these things
the Internet was designed to do, and U.S. ITAR regulations are designed
to prohibit (globally, anyway). And also that the bad guys will never
play by the rules. And re-emphasize that solutions are possible, just
that the U.S. government prevents them from being deployed in a global
economy.
Perhaps draw parallels to the recent Microsoft Word virus.
/r$
NODE 4c1b45a6Re: Netscape's random numbers
"Perry E. Metzger" <perry@piermont.com>Mon, 18 Sep 95 13:17:50 PDT
Rich Salz writes:
> The Netscape license explicitly prohibits decompiling (except where such
> prohibition is illegal).
Which probably is most of the U.S.
It would be remarkably stupid for them to try to enforce the
provision.
Perry