Re: Should PKIX protocols support XML well

["Anders Rundgren" <anders.rundgren@xxxxxxxxx>]

Steve,

> XML has various benefits for representing certain kinds of data, but 
> none of those seem especially relevant to the encoding of certs or 
> CRLs.

Agreed, assuming we talk PKCs.  ACs are rather different creatures as they
are functionally comparable to "messages", featuring a possibly dynamic, application-specific,
information-rich content, that is to be fully digested (by the application) and acted upon, in 
contrast to static PKCs that usually only identify an entity.  And each AC "message type" would
benefit *tremendously* by being expressed as a *unique* XML schema instead of being "squeezed"
into the current "one-size-fits-all try-to-guess-this-ac-profile" approach.

> Moreover, at a time when people in various quarters (e.g., 
> wireless folks) complain about the size of certs, it would not seem 
> especially appropriate to adopt an XML encoding, which would increase 
> the size of these data items.

These guys have so far had practically zero success in deployment due to high
traffic costs and slow transmission.  I would not consider their arguments
that important when the general expectancy is streaming multimedia in our phones
next year or so.  In that perspective PKIX structures look real neat and tiny.

<snip>

Regards
Anders