During the Netscape heydays <keygen> was probably pretty OK.  However, that was 
a long time ago.

In fact, <keygen> only meets a single of the dozen+ imaginable features 
outlined here:

http://webpki.org/papers/PKI/certenroll-features.pdf

For the PC platform which seems to resist all modernization efforts in this 
space
(probably due to the "Wintel" hegemony plus the inability of the smart card 
community
creating anything "Internetish"), there's little point in upgrading stuff; this 
request is
dedicated to the always connected, mobile devices which primarily rely on 
embedded
platform capabilities.

Although swapping <keygen> for something else has indeed been proposed.  IMO, 
that
wouldn't help much because the underpinnings like "KeyChain" is also in need of 
renovation.

The somewhat bigger question is thus whether "KeyChain" should be upgraded or 
if it (as I propose)
should be "complemented" with *another* API for provisioning.  The primary 
reason why
I think the latter is a better idea is that credential provisioning 
security-wise should operate
"one level down" in the stack compared to credential usage.

Proof: The Google Wallet doesn't utilize on "KeyChain"/<keygen>-like technology 
for provisioning,
it rather builds on (according to unverified sources...) GlobalPlatform's SCPnn.

Anders


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