Re: Current State: An EDIINT Short Status/ Request

[Dave Darnell <dave_d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 08:47 PM 5/3/96 -0500, Rik Drummond wrote:
>After following the thread discussion, here is where I think we stand...
>Check me to make sure we are on the same track... Later....Rik
>
>
>>Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 04:40:59 -0500
>>To: ietf-ediint@imc.org
>>From: drummond@onramp.net (Rik Drummond)
>>Subject: An EDIINT Short Status/ Request
>>Cc:
>>Bcc:
>>X-Attachments:
>>
>>It looks to me like we have three categories of issues we must address to
>>solve the whole
>> edi over internet issues:
>>
>>1) Certificate Authorities,
>
>Do not  worry about it now. Do as is recommended in IETF04.DOC.
>
>
>>
>>2) pick MOSS, S/MIME or PGP/MIME, and
>
>MOSS is not a player. PGP/MIME and S/MIME are still in the running.  Is
>S/MIME leading or not?  It seems to be the developer's preference.
>
>Note: I just attended a meeting at Electronic Messaging Association (EMA)
>where S/MIME was demo'd on a MS Exchange system, Eudora and Premenos is
>doing it ASAP. I talked with Harbinger they are heavily focused on S/MIME.
>I talked with Supply Tech they have MOSS operational.
>
>The integration of S/MIME to Windows was very slick and very user friendly
>for key generation, key management and signing and encrypting messages
>-- I am not sure of the tool kit's guts, but it looked to be a visual basic
>implementation. I came away very impressed.
>
>

I still consider S/MIME vaporware until it is available to all users and is
proven in the field. 
How can we recommend vaporware?

I have both an educational, academic, and professional background in
engineering and love the profession dearly - I therefore feel obligated and
entitled to criticize a charactistic of engineers that is being displayed
here: it is the love of something new and whizbang regardless of its
development stage.  

I am also a business professional and this side of me says that you stay
away from the "whizbang" until somebody proves it works (i.e. stay away from
those alpha and beta versions). 

I CANNOT RECOMMEND S/MIME AS AN INTERNET EDI TOOL AT THIS TIME.  My money is
still on PGP for the next 6-12 months.

>>
>>3) handle the issue of Delivery, read receipts, Nonrepudiation of Delivery
>>and Non repudiation of Receipt. If we solve these three areas we have
>>solved the problem of EDI over Internet in my view.
>
> I am not clear on this one. I personally think we should extend the
>existing RFC functionality and implement a generic NRR of receipt for MIME
>which we can use for EDI. I searched the literature a little, I do not
>think it is a big deal at all.  (What did you find Carl?)
>

SOmething new here for the future is one thing we can contribute!  I am in
all favor of doing this if you and Carl think it can be done.

>
>>
>>Carl Hage and I have discussed him investigating and recommending how we
>>do #3 for the Internet Transport -- which means MIME based Status
>>messages. If you have input lets get it on the listserv.
>>
>>We must also do a comparison between those in #2 if we are going to make a
>>choice.  Many translator vendors seem to be focusing on the S/MIME.  MOSS
>>does not seem to be going anywhere.  We need several people to compare the
>>technologies in #2. I will help. Anybody else?
>>
>>Have a nice weekend....Later...Rik
>
>I have been very impressed with the progress made to date. Our effort is
>really moving...We all should be very pleased with the contributions  ....
>Nice job one and all!
>
>Later....Rik
>
>------------------------------------------------------
>|         Rik Drummond - The Drummond Group         |
>|   5008 Bentwood Ct., Ft. Worth, TX 76132 USA  |
>|        Voice: 817 294 7339    Fax: 817 294 7950     |
>------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
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