Subject: Re: whitespace // the program

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 01:22:18 +0100

> http://compsoc.dur.ac.uk/whitespace/index.php
> 
> the source code programs written this way, can always be signed with
> a detached signature of the file itself,
> 
> but, just in case one 'did' want to clearsign such a page of code,
> would it be possible under the new open pgp whitespace specs?

As the code there is *trying* to be difficult, I wouldn't
be so fussed if we get some inconsistent results.  White-
space stripping is not really a total answer to all needs,
it's just a simple compromise to try and catch the common
gremlins in transport systems.

Having said that, it would seem that, if the program that
was there (from a brief look) had been signed in clear-
text, then the sig would have "not travelled," as the
whitespace would have been ignored by the signature.  In
this case, the whitespace appeared at end of line, and was
highly significant.

So, I'd say that was a 'no,' it wouldn't be efficacious to
sign such code with the cleartext signing format.

YMMV!  Cute language though...

iang