I'm off to a conference

[Mark S. Miller]

I'm off to the Asilomar Microcomputer Workshop, where I'll be speaking in 
a session on Open Source chaired by Chris Peterson.  My abstract:


		E: A Secure Distributed Programming Language
		for writing Capability-Based Smart Contracts

There is much excitement these days about the possibility of 
cryptographically-protected jurisdiction-free electronic commerce; and many 
tools and libraries are being created to help bring about this vision. 
However, tools and libraries, by themselves, do not create a coherent and 
comprehensive security architecture. Conventionally, this requires an 
operating system, but this would be a marketing disaster. E is instead an 
easy-to-learn programming language. Distributed security requires strong 
crypto, but export controls make the required overseas development costly. E 
instead, by being open source, was simply unable to prevent the overseas 
addition of strong crypto.


The E 0.8.3 release is essentially done.  When you see my release notes, 
it'll be official.  This should happen while I'm away.  I'll be trying to 
check my email while at the conference, but I won't be back on line for real 
till Saturday.  (Can you believe they decided to hold the conference outside 
ricochet coverage?)


	Cheers,
	--MarkM