I want to register opposition to the proposed patent-encumbered standard for TLS authorization.
Supporting patent encumbered standards makes absolutely zero sense. The support such a standard would get would probably be because of ignorance.
Please take a look at http://boycottnovell.com/2009/02/04/the-api-trap-part-1/ . That discussion (in progress) may not surprise the IETF, but ask how anyone could support that sort of nonsense as an open source software developer?
Open source software has been and will continue to be an important part of the Internet. Standards that aren't compatible with the most popular open source licenses (eg, the GPL) are an insult to the many hard-working open source developers world-wide.
Again, since it's very possible (and sometimes ridiculously easy) to circumvent many types of patents, but only if one designs for this from the beginning and doesn't allow themselves to be taken for a ride, I can't imagine the FOSS community or many others supporting a patent encumbered standard except out of ignorance. Why run a race you can't win, when there are so many other interesting races to be run?
Jose Lorenzo
Miami, FL USA
PS: I have read many "RFCs" thoroughly (including TLS 1.0) going back over a decade. RFCs are wonderful documentation. I should take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks for all past work. It's borderline depressing to think this resource would open up to contamination. [Almost by definition, patents applicable to IETF standards would consist mainly of so-called "software patents", a disgraceful component of the patent system.]
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