Re: SSL sans RSA

Ben Laurie (ben@algroup.co.uk)
Tue, 23 Feb 1999 18:56:11 +0000

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Niels Möller wrote:
>
> pgut001@cs.auckland.ac.nz (Peter Gutmann) writes:
>
> > The problem isn't ASN.1, it's how it's used, or as the old saying goes, "The
> > determined programmer can write FORTRAN in any language". ASN.1 is just
> > another programming language, and like any language it's possible to write
> > complete crap in it.
>
> I guess you're right here.
>
> > ASN.1, if used properly, is an extremely elegant and powerful
> > notation for describing data formats.
>
> I'm not so sure about this... I once tried to write a grammer for
> ASN.1, for a LR parser generator. I.e., parsing the type descriptions,
> not just the encoded data objects. I failed.

I'm pretty sure ASN.1 isn't LR(1) (which is a drag [I also tried to
write a parser once, though not particularly hard]). But not being LR(1)
doesn't mean you can't have a grammar. Perhaps you need that weird
grammar they do Algol in?

Cheers,

Ben.

--
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