Dimitrios Bogiatzoules wrote:

> Maybe 1.5.2 could be used to introduce public key encryption...

The problem with public-key encryption is that it is basically too difficult 
for normal people to understand. The basic principle may be OK to teach, but 
it is also necessary to teach proper key (for GnuPG) or certificate (for TLS) 
management procedures if we don't want to endow people with a dangerous level 
of half-knowledge that may leave them less »secure« than they would be without 
it. (For example, I hate books that explain GnuPG command line options for all 
sorts of things without bothering to also explain the »web of trust« and how 
it works. Yes, this means approximately all LPIC-1 books that I know other 
than the one I wrote myself.) However, doing so would blow up the time spent 
on that objective far out of proportion to that of other objectives of similar 
weight. Also, normal people tend to be bored stiff by the topic.

Do note that I'm all in favour of increasing awareness of public-key 
encryption (and, in particular, the problems with it) within the general user 
community. However, I do not think this makes sense in the context of an 
introductory Linux exam.

Anselm
-- 
Anselm Lingnau ... Linup Front GmbH ... Linux-, Open-Source- & Netz-Schulungen
[email protected], +49(0)6151-9067-103, Fax -299, www.linupfront.de
Linup Front GmbH, Postfach 100121, 64201 Darmstadt, Germany
Sitz: Weiterstadt (AG Darmstadt, HRB7705), Geschäftsführer: Oliver Michel
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