Re: [openpgp] "OpenPGP Simple"

Derek Atkins <warlord@MIT.EDU> Tue, 17 March 2015 15:33 UTC

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From: Derek Atkins <warlord@MIT.EDU>
To: Phill <hallam@gmail.com>
References: <9A043F3CF02CD34C8E74AC1594475C73AAFB3823@uxcn10-5.UoA.auckland.ac.nz> <088CD5E6-CDB9-44E3-8762-DA51E3D7A294@jabberwocky.com> <AC983DBE-79DA-4106-A901-98478EC8BC29@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 11:33:02 -0400
In-Reply-To: <AC983DBE-79DA-4106-A901-98478EC8BC29@gmail.com> (Phill's message of "Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:30:00 -0400")
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Cc: David Shaw <dshaw@jabberwocky.com>, "openpgp@ietf.org" <openpgp@ietf.org>, Peter Gutmann <pgut001@cs.auckland.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: [openpgp] "OpenPGP Simple"
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Phill <hallam@gmail.com> writes:

> But that 32 bit length really worries me. Just because people can’t
> send 4GB messages today does not mean that they can’t or won’t in the
> future. Do not build OpenPGP around assumptions based on SMTP
> continuing forever. Use today is not limited to mail in any case.
>
> If I have a 1TB archive file I am not going to want to break it into
> chunks just to encrypt it.

That's what partial (indefinite) lengths are for.  But the point is that
each "size" parameter is 32 bits, always, instead of having a 1, 2, or
5-byte length parameter.

[snip]
> Again, I am not sure that a complete overhaul is desirable. Just
> pruning back the unnecessary features is probably sufficient. 

+1

-derek
-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord@MIT.EDU                        PGP key available