🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Dec28.173748.19534@rchland.ibm.com> lwloen@rchland.vnet.ibm.com writes:
>As a relative newcomer to Internet, I post opinions on this topic with 
>caution.
>
>
>Question:  Is this a current fad?  When the latest bills blow through
>  the US Congress or die, will most of this stuff fade?
>
>   Larry W. Loen        |  My Opinions are decidedly my own, so please
>                        |  do not attribute them to my employer

Larry, I'd like to address just one point.  If anything the political 
questions surrounding encryption are going to become more acute rather
then less in the future. Currently, much of the argument is driven by
the FBI wiretap bill. However, as other have pointed  out the
underlying argument is how and what the shape of our society will be
in the new emerging online world. Researcher are starting to become 
interested in this questions and are considering it as a question of
government and ethics  instead of the mechanisms that we focus on.
The same arguments have been with us for centuries: the rights of
the individual vs the requirements  of government. There are thoughful
people on both sides of the issues.

Beyond the sideshow of export laws which I see as a transient issue,
things like the the patenting of algorithms, the balanced role of 
government within a online society and the rights of individuals and 
organizations (such as multinational corporations) all need to 
be "hacked" out. (I use hacking in its original positive sense. 
There is no such thing as political engineering and political science 
isn't  science.) 

In sum, I think the arguments will intensify as people become
better informed on the issues. Sci.crypt seems to be a lightning
rod for internet  discussions. 

So, if my vote counts I vote to split the groups. I have no opnion what
they get called. There seems already to be some protocol on how to 
name groups. But I do hope there will be a group devoted to technology
and research (not just research as some are suggesting). Some of us
implementors are trying to stay up on whats going on in the  field and 
it moves very quickly at times.