[42025] in Cypherpunks

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Re: Netscape question transformed

daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (anonymous-remailer@shell.portal.co)
Mon Oct 23 02:50:59 1995

Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 23:47:35 -0700
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
From: anonymous-remailer@shell.portal.com

Jeff Weinstein writes:
>zoetrope@infinet.com wrote:
>>      Why would a compony like Netscape jeapordise themselves by even
>> letting out a beta version so hackers have time to find bugs before the
>> full version is released. Don't take me wrong I have only been on the net
>> fer a little over a year and Love Netscape.  And If I knew what I was
>> Doing I would love to help them..... 
>
>  The reason we do it is that without wide exposure outside the
> company, it is virtually impossible to get complete testing coverage.

I see.  Who has netscape retained to review its software.  Can we have 
some public names who will vouch for the "partial testing coverage" 
before exposing it to the world??  Firms who will put their name 
on the line and say that Netscape meets all of the security guidelines 
say of the IETF -- the Internet Engineering Task Force??

Or does Netscape feel that International judgement will not matter??

> Given the incredible variety of machines, OS's, peripherals, etc.
> that are available in the real world, there is no way we could
> re-create every possible configuration in the lab.

All the more reason I guess to stick to standard.  Or don't you agree??

We're not asking you to re-create every possible configuration, but have 
you benchmarked Netscape against any standards at all??  And which ones??

>   We also can't visit every web page, or think of every combination
> of features that clever people in the real world come up with every
> day.  

This is true.  You can't visit every web page.  So what assumptions did 
you start off with when you first started your code design??  Did you 
read the appropriate memorandums upon which the Internet is built?

Did you assume that every server would be trustworthy??  That would be
extremely negligent.  That's like a bank trusting everyone who comes in
and asks if the bank can cash a check for them.

Any comments, Netscape??  Or are you still not making "official" statements.



Alice de 'nonymous ...

                                  ...just another one of those...


P.S.  This post is in the public domain.
                  C.  S.  U.  M.  O.  C.  L.  U.  N.  E.




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