Comments on: The flexibility trap or why doesn’t corporate software have an opinion? http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/06/12/the-flexibility-trap-or-why-doesnt-corporate-software-have-an-opinion/ Working with nerds for fun and profit Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:56:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Iang http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/06/12/the-flexibility-trap-or-why-doesnt-corporate-software-have-an-opinion/#comment-31839 Iang Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:12:50 +0000 http://www.nerdherding.net/2006/06/12/the-flexibility-trap-or-why-doesnt-corporate-software-have-an-opinion/#comment-31839 Curious! I have been heading in the same direction with security software. I've come to the conclusion or realisation that the protocols and designs should be far more opinionated, to use that term. For example, I have two principles that speak directly to that: #1 There is only one cipher suite, and it is numbered Number 1. #3 There is only one mode, and it is secure. This would be opinionated in the extreme :) But in my experience, the plethora of options and tweaks in some crypto protocols have materially contributed to the lack of usage; whereas those protocols that made hard unpopular choices have succeeded well. Curious! I have been heading in the same direction with security software. I’ve come to the conclusion or realisation that the protocols and designs should be far more opinionated, to use that term. For example, I have two principles that speak directly to that:

#1 There is only one cipher suite, and it is numbered Number 1.
#3 There is only one mode, and it is secure.

This would be opinionated in the extreme :) But in my experience, the plethora of options and tweaks in some crypto protocols have materially contributed to the lack of usage; whereas those protocols that made hard unpopular choices have succeeded well.

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