one last (not) small web tweak.

[monkeysphere.git] / website / why.mdwn

diff --git a/website/why.mdwn b/website/why.mdwn
index 5dc0e05a08e33e6b7cfb7f991c6a82d732c2e6eb..93ea56018af6dcd661ca413a5bd7f8a109affc57 100644 (file)
--- a/website/why.mdwn
+++ b/website/why.mdwn
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-[[!template id="nav"]]
-

 [[meta title="Why should you be interested in the MonkeySphere?"]]
 
 [[toc ]]
 [[meta title="Why should you be interested in the MonkeySphere?"]]
 
 [[toc ]]


@@ -16,8 +14,8 @@ seeing messages like this?
 Do you actually tediously check the fingerprint against a
 cryptographically-signed message from the admin, or do you just cross
 your fingers and type "yes"?  Do you wish there was a better way to
 Do you actually tediously check the fingerprint against a
 cryptographically-signed message from the admin, or do you just cross
 your fingers and type "yes"?  Do you wish there was a better way to

-verify that the host your connecting to actually is the host you mean
-to connect to?  Shouldn't our tools be able to figure this out
+verify that the host you are connecting to actually is the host you
+mean to connect to?  Shouldn't our tools be able to figure this out

 automatically?
 
 Do you use `ssh`'s public key authentication for convenience and/or
 automatically?
 
 Do you use `ssh`'s public key authentication for convenience and/or


@@ -33,7 +31,7 @@ ever connected to?
 
 [Get started with the monkeysphere as a user!](/getting-started-user)
 
 
 [Get started with the monkeysphere as a user!](/getting-started-user)
 

-## As an system administrator ##
+## As a system administrator ##

 
 As a system administrator, have you ever tried to re-key an SSH
 server?  How did you communicate the key change to your users?  How
 
 As a system administrator, have you ever tried to re-key an SSH
 server?  How did you communicate the key change to your users?  How


@@ -120,10 +118,10 @@ allows a very flexible trust model, ranging all over the map, at the
 choice of the user:
 
 * individual per-host certifications by each client (much like the
 choice of the user:
 
 * individual per-host certifications by each client (much like the

-  stock OpenSSH behavior),
+  stock OpenSSH behavior), or

 
 * strict centralized Certificate Authorities (much like proposed X.509
 
 * strict centralized Certificate Authorities (much like proposed X.509

-  models), and
+  models), or

 
 * a more human-centric model that recognizes individual differences in
   ranges of trust and acceptance.
 
 * a more human-centric model that recognizes individual differences in
   ranges of trust and acceptance.


@@ -137,3 +135,43 @@ than the current infrastructure allows, and is more meaningful to
 actual humans using these tools than some message like "Certified by
 GloboTrust".
 
 actual humans using these tools than some message like "Certified by
 GloboTrust".
 

+## Philosophy ##
+
+Humans (and
+[monkeys](http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/mi/mi-17/mi-17.html))
+have the innate capacity to keep track of the identities of only a
+finite number of people. After our social sphere exceeds several dozen
+or several hundred (depending on the individual), our ability to
+remember and distinguish people begins to break down. In other words,
+at a certain point, we can't know for sure that the person we ran into
+in the produce aisle really is the same person who we met at the party
+last week.
+
+For most of us, this limitation has not posed much of a problem in our
+daily, off-line lives.  With the Internet, however, we have an ability
+to interact with vastly larger numbers of people than we had
+before. In addition, on the Internet we lose many of our tricks for
+remembering and identifying people (physical characteristics, sound of
+the voice, etc.).
+
+Fortunately, with online communications we have easy access to tools
+that can help us navigate these problems.
+[OpenPGP](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openpgp) (a cryptographic
+protocol commonly used for sending signed and encrypted email
+messages) is one such tool. In its simplest form, it allows us to
+sign our communication in such a way that the recipient can verify the
+sender.
+
+OpenPGP goes beyond this simple use to implement a feature known as
+the [web of trust](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_of_trust). The web
+of trust allows people who have never met in person to communicate
+with a reasonable degree of certainty that they are who they say they
+are. It works like this: Person A trusts Person B. Person B verifies
+Person C's identity.  Then, Person A can verify Person C's identity
+because of their trust of Person B.
+
+The Monkeyshpere's broader goals are to extend the use of OpenPGP from
+email communications to other activities, such as:
+
+ * conclusively identifying the remote server in a remote login session
+ * granting access to servers to people we've never directly met