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owner-spki@c2.org, ietf-pkix@tandem.com

I have a question for one of the advocates of using "internet" email
addresses in lieu of distinguished names.

Is cme@acm.org (cf: Carl's web page) REALLY cme@cybercash.com (cf: Carl's
posting to this list)?  If so, where would I go to look up the alias
certificate?  Will it be in one of dee@cybercash.com's signed dns entries?

I think not.

I just ordered my own acm alias, not only because everybody seems to have
one, but also to take advantage of the competitive ISP situation.  Besides,
it's cheap. Now, where do I go to get my alias certificate?

On the other hand, if I had a key certificate for a "Carl Ellison" issued by
"Cybercash" or even by "Association for Computing Machinery", I could
separate the security issues from the mail delivery issues. What an advanced
concept.

Regardless of what kind certificates get adopted or how much anyone
personally dislikes distinguished names or X.500 in general, the current
lack of standardized "address independent" naming for people and services in
the internet is pretty deplorable.  "Whois" and "finger" are NOT, I repeat
NOT, substitutes for real directory services. It would really be nice to
look up "Carl Ellison" in some real directory and get one or more email
addresses to try.

I view holding on to 1970's "name service" naming practices and user naming
hacks as THE major impediment here, perhaps even more so than Best's broken
mailer.

Joe