[OTR-dev] OTR encryption state

[Evan Schoenberg]

That's brilliant :)

On Jan 27, 2005, at 4:22 PM, Ian Goldberg wrote:

> On Thu, Jan 27, 2005 at 03:20:23PM -0600, Evan Schoenberg wrote:
>>>    OPPORTUNISTIC: (the current mode) probe the other side with the
>>>                   whitespace tag, and reply to any indication that he
>>> 		   speaks OTR with a Key Exchange Message (if we're not
>>> 		   already private)
>>>
>> How does the "whitespace tag" work?  Do all contacts I speak with 
>> which
>> don't have OTR receive an IM from me every time I start a chat?  This
>> doesn't seem to be the case.. but it's the current mode.
>
> It's the clever thing suggested by Gregory Maxwell.  The first time you
> send a message to someone, append a magic pattern of whitespace.  OTR
> clients recognize the whitespace at the end of the message, and
> opportunistically start OTR.  It's just meant as a more invisible
> (and automatic) version of the OTR Query message.
>
> So in OPPORTUNISTIC mode, if you send any old message to someone who
> speaks OTR (and is also in OPPORTUNISTIC mode), OTR will start.
>
>>>    MANUAL: Don't send the whitespace tag, and don't reply to one you
>>>            receive.  Respond to explicit OTR Query Messages and Key
>>> Exchange
>>> 	    Messages, but not other indications of OTR.  This mode is
>>> 	    useful if you for some reason want to communicate in the
>>> 	    clear, even though you know the other guy speaks OTR, and
>>> 	    also allow either side to start a private conversation
>>> 	    at any time.  [If you don't want to allow that last
>>> 	    condition, use NEVER instead.]
>> This seems more like the current mode to me.  How would it differ from
>> current behavior?
>
> MANUAL only starts OTR in response to explicit requests to do so.
> OPPORTUNISTIC (the current mode) starts OTR in response to any
> indication the other side speaks OTR, including the whitespace tag and
> OTR Error messages.
>
>    - Ian
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