[cap-talk] crypto purism vs. Pet Names (was: Firefox breaks the principle of identifiability)

[Zooko O'Whielacronx]

David Wagner wrote:

> SDSI/SPKI-style names?  That's getting better.

Yes, SDSI=style transitive naming is an important part of the Pet Names 
design.

> I am not sure whether I'm convinced yet.
> (I'm not sure I'd want to have to type "KPIX's Coca Cola";
> for instance, I might not remember what TV station I saw.
> Also, this doesn't fit the "I saw an ad on a billboard" model too 
> well.)
> But it seems like it is getting closer.
>
> Maybe part of the issue is that the crypto-purist view strikes me as
> blind to the possibility that maybe there are some things that branding
> and trademark do reasonably well.

That's a good point.  We should always be alert for opportunities to 
succeed by limiting our scope.  Maybe there is a secure naming system 
which is excellent for being introduced to a friend of a friend at a 
party, and excellent for transacting with your bank over the Net, but 
isn't very useful for succumbing to Coco-Cola advertisements on 
billboards.  That wouldn't be so bad.

Regards,

Zooko