[E-Lang] Possession as Metaphor (was: Pet Extensions and such (was: what is good about E?))

[Karp, Alan]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Kahn [mailto:kenkahn@toontalk.com]
> Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 6:16 PM
> To: Karp, Alan; Mark S. Miller
> Cc: e-lang@eros-os.org; Miriam Walker; Ka-Ping Yee
> Subject: Re: [E-Lang] Possession as Metaphor (was: Pet Extensions and
> such (was: what is good about E?))
> 
> 
> Alan Karp wrote:
> >
> > I already have that.  My HP badge works as long as I get 
> close enough to
> the
> > sensor.  The real problem is POLA when people have a large 
> number of keys.
> > (We got this wrong in e-speak Beta 2.2 by making it easy 
> for people to put
> > all their keys on one key ring.)  The problem is providing 
> a good way for
> > people to specify which keys they want to use in a 
> particular situation.
> > Otherwise, we've got the ACL problem of every request 
> carrying the user's
> > full authority.
> >
> 
> I would have thought the problem in Beta 2.2 is that some 
> keys are master
> keys that work throughout a floor or building - not that lots 
> of keys are on
> the same key ring. Or was the problem one that doesn't map to 
> this metaphor?

Nope.  No master keys in Beta 2.2.  You could set up one key to unlock a lot
of permissions if you wanted to, to represent group read permission for
example.  That's not the same as a master key, though.  Typically, such
powerful keys were used only to emulate older models, such as Unix file
permissions.  We tried to encourage people to design for finer granularity
control.

> 
> When I last bought a car, they gave me the keys and a key 
> they called a
> valet key. This was news to me. I asked and they said it 
> doesn't open the
> trunk but does open the doors and starts the engine. A nice 
> physical example
> of POLA.

Yep, and I had that back on the car I bought in college.  (Yes, we had cars
back then.)  One key worked the doors and ignition, and the other the trunk
and glove box.

> 
> Best,
> 
> -ken
> 
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_________________________
Alan Karp
Principal Scientist
Decision Technology Department
Hewlett-Packard Laboratories MS 1U-3
1501 Page Mill Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 857-3967, fax (650) 857-6278
https://ecardfile.com/id/Alan_Karp
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Alan_Karp/